Knock Knock
by oolfloo
Summary: Gokusen AU story, partly inspired by Pretty Woman. Behind every knock is a life changing story. All you have to do is open the door. How would life turn out for Yamato, if Ren had died? Warning: YAOI pairing, mentions of past character death.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is an AU story. Some parts will follow the Gokusen universe, but there will also be some parts that will not be the same. For example, I kept Yankumi as a teacher; but I made Sawatari/Goro-chan a pimp in this story. Also, Yankumi has no connection to Kuroda Ryuichiro or the Oedo Family, although all three characters appear in the story. **

**It's loosely based on the movie 'Pretty Woman'. **

**The paring in this story is a rare one, but I kind of like it. **

**I don't own Gokusen or Pretty Woman. **

**Let the fun… BEGIN!**

* * *

**_Knock knock. _**

Odagiri Ryu, wealthy heir and businessman, age 27, walked towards his suite door a little nervously. He had never done this before. He wondered what the person will be like?

Swinging the door open, Ryu was absolutely floored to see a young man; of barely legal age, dressed in next to nothing standing outside his door. _This_, he definitely did not expect.

"Hi, nice to meet you!" The young man greeted Ryu with a sexy smile. "My name is Yuyan."

In a daze, Ryu took one step back and allowed the young man to step into the room.

"Damn." The young man swore under his breath as he took in the luxurious presidential suite that Ryu was staying in. "This is by far, the best room I've been in. Definitely a jackpot tonight."

"Huh?" Ryu asked, unable to shift his gaze from too-low shorts hanging on the young man's hips, exposing the tiniest silver of ass and a lot of his legs. The white tank top the young man was wearing was loose-fitting, but its material was so thin that it really left nothing to imagination. "Um, who are you?"

The young man threw him an amused glance. "I've told you, my name is Yuyan."

Ryu shook his head. "I mean, why are you here?"

The young man frowned a little, before retrieving a small slip of paper from his shorts pocket. "Are you Odagiri-sama from Suite 2000 Trump Tower, telephone number 1(317)77330223, credit card number ending with 1314?"

Ryu was taken aback. "How do you know so much details about me? Are you trying to threaten me or something?" He asked fiercely.

"No, no." The young man held up his hands to calm Ryu down. "You hired me, didn't you? Unless that sleazy manager Sawatari is pushing me onto innocent people again."

"Hired you?" Ryu echoed in confusion, before realising what the young man was talking about. "You're not, by any chance, the Guest Relations Officer?"

The young man heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank god, I was going to kill Sawatari if he used me for one of his illegal marketing schemes again. Well, yeah; or at least, that's what it says on your credit card bill."

"What do you mean?"

"Wait, who were you expecting?"

"Well, a professional consultant of sorts, I guess? I've never met a Guest Relations Officer, so I wouldn't know what to expect… Is it that warm today?" Ryu could not help but ask the last question. It was positively freezing outside, how is it that this young man is dressed so… lightly?

The young man stuck his tongue into his cheek to stifle a laugh. "Oh dear me. I'm sorry to betray your expectations, Odagiri-sama; but GRO is just a fancy word for prostitute, and that's what I am."

"Prostitute?!" Ryu leapt back in disbelief. How did he end up ordering a prostitute in the middle of upscale New York? But somehow, it was all starting to make sense now. No wonder the fees were so cheap! He had wondered briefly what sort of consultant would charge $50 an hour (he was an investment consultant himself, and he charged $500 an hour). So it was _this_ kind of 'consultant'.

Ryu cleared his throat. "Umm, I'm so so sorry for the misunderstanding." He blushed heavily, not daring to look at the young prostitute in the eye after the revelation. "I guess I better, er, tip you before you leave, since it's my fault."

The young man nodded in understanding. "Hey, don't worry about the tips man, it was just an honest mistake. If you don't mind too much, can I sit around until the hour is up? That way, I can take the rest of the hour off. I won't do anything to you, I promise."

"Uh, yeah, sure, I guess." Ryu shuffled awkwardly, gesturing the young man to take a seat on the couch. "What do you want to drink?"

The young man smiled at him. "Nah, you don't have to bother with me, really. I can just take a nap or stare into space for the next 50 minutes."

"Well, I'm pouring myself some whiskey, so it's no trouble at all if you're agreeable to the same drink." Ryu got up, before he was stopped by the young man.

"I would love some whiskey, but please sit down. After all, you're still my client. I simply cannot just sit back and let you serve me. So at least allow me to pour you a drink."

"Oh. In that case, okay then. The mini bar is just down the hallway to your left."

The young man came back with two whiskey glasses a few minutes later and handed one to Ryu. "So, what brings you to New York, Odagiri-sama?"

"Business." Ryu gave his standard answer, but unconsciously began to explain himself further. "There's a piece of property that I want to buy in Japan, but the owner lives in New York; so I've come to negotiate the deal with him."

"Ah, I see. So are you having problems with travelling around New York?"

"Huh?" The question struck Ryu as a random one, so he did not know how to answer it.

"Because you hired a Guest Relations Officer…?" The young man elaborated.

"Oh. That." Ryu blushed at the reminder of his little blunder. "Actually, I was just looking for someone to talk to. I googled 'hostess in New York' but nothing showed up. I was just clicking around from one site to another and stumbled across your website. I didn't think it would be this…" He mumbled embarrassedly.

The young man set the whiskey glass on the table. "Hosts and hostesses are unique to Japan, Odagiri-sama. Here in America you just get to choose between strippers – which, by the way, are called bare costume consultants – and prostitutes."

"Bare costume consultants… Wait, you're one too, aren't you?" Ryu asked, recalling the young man's 'résumé' that he had browsed through earlier.

"Yes, I work both as a stripper and a prostitute." The young man answered without a trace of shame. "Do you want a show? I can give you one – no extra charge." He offered in a teasing tone.

"Uh, nah, it's okay…" Ryu stuttered audibly.

The young man crooked his forehead. He had meant it as a joke, but Ryu's refusal seemed a little half-hearted compared to earlier. Is it possible that his customer actually wouldn't mind a strip tease? It might be true, the young man rationalised. A lot of men go to strip clubs, but they draw the line at hiring prostitutes.

"Hmm. You've already paid for me for the rest of the hour though." The young man slinked up to Ryu seductively. "Don't you want a peek at what you've paid for?"

Ryu scooted away from him hurriedly. "Um, no, it's okay. You don't have to do that, Yuyan-san."

"Just Yuyan is fine. You don't like guys?" The young man asked matter-of-factly.

Ryu paused for a moment. "I don't know. I've never really explored my sexual orientation, even with girls." For some unknown reason, Ryu found himself blabbering all his secrets to this young man whom he had just met not 10 minutes ago.

"Eh?" The young man was slightly startled at the admission. "Why? You're young, rich and handsome. I would imagine that there are girls throwing themselves at you from every other corner."

Ryu shrugged his shoulders. "That's the main problem. They only see my looks and my money. They don't want to know that I, too, have the same issues as any other human being; such as stress and anxiety and nervousness. They don't want to accept that I used to be a delinquent and have a juvie rap sheet as impressive as someone on the death sentence. They just want me to be this perfect little millionaire – goes to work, earns his money, and spends it on them because they supposedly 'deserves' it." He grumbled.

The young man's eyes shined a little at the mention of the word 'delinquent'. "Luckily for you, I like bad boys. Oh, not like that, you prude. I used to be a delinquent too. Tell me about your juvie rap sheet and how you got away with it."

Ryu looked up in surprise. "You were a delinquent too?" He would not have guessed that, even in a million years. The young man looked positively demure and soft-spoken. But then again, he himself did not speak or behaved like a delinquent either. "Anyway, my dad was the Chief Police when I was in high school. That, and I had this crazy homeroom teacher who would bail me out of whatever trouble I fall into."

The young man gazed at Ryu intently. "I had a homeroom teacher like that, too." He said softly.

Ryu raised his eyes to meet the young man's gaze. "Yankumi?"

The young man broke into a strained smile of sorts. It was both happy and sad at the same time, if that was possible. "The one and only."

"If you don't mind me asking, Yuyan, how did you end up in this… industry?" Ryu asked curiously. No student of Yankumi would end up in the sex trade, in his opinion.

The young man leaned back and brooded for a while. "She doesn't know. I took up a night-time job as a cleaner back when I was in college. One of the few places I have to clean was a prostitution joint. It was gross, but it paid the bills. After about a year or so on the job, I happened to stumble across the manager of the place. He was complaining about how sex workers nowadays are so unprofessional, because they keep falling in love and want to quit their jobs or take time-off, et cetera. It was frustrating for the manager, because he spends time building up their reputation and training them for the job; only for them to turn around and leave once 'Mr or Ms Right' comes along. Well, when I heard that, it got me thinking. I…" The young man paused for a long time, before opening his mouth again. "I can't love anyone." He said in a whisper. "So I applied for the job. Two years later, here I am. I even garnered enough favour from my manager to get transferred to New York."

"Why can't you love anyone?" Ryu questioned. "You're still young. I'm sure if you open up your heart, you'll be able to find a 'Ms or Mr Right' too."

"Maybe, but I don't want to." The young man said in a tone of finality that refused any more discussion on that topic. "Thank you for letting me stay, Odagiri-sama. It has been a pleasure meeting you."

"Wait." Ryu stood up. "If you don't mind, Yuyan, why don't you stay with me for the rest of my trip? You can take a breather from your job; and keep me company at the same time." Something inside him wanted to get to know the young man better – just as a friend, he assured himself.

"I don't mind, but… are you sure you don't want a female prostitute instead? I'm sure plenty of them would be more than willing to keep you company in this suite." The young man gestured his head towards the general direction of the room.

"I want a friend, not a sex toy." Ryu said in a firm tone, unknowingly bringing immeasurable joy to the young man's heart. "And call me Ryu."

"In that case, Ryu; call me Yamato."

* * *

**A/N: Yes, it's a Ryu/Yamato story! It will also be a slightly Hayato-bashing story, sorry to all the Hayato fans out there! I have nothing against Hayato****, I just wanted someone familiar as the villain; rather than using a side character like Kudou or the rest of the 'bad guys'. **


	2. Chapter 2

"I've talked to your manager. He agreed to lease you to me for the rest of the week." Ryu threw a plush cushion at Yamato playfully.

"How much did he charge you?" Yamato asked in all seriousness.

"That's no matter." Ryu waved his concern away.

"It is. You have to tell me, so that he doesn't undercut me." Yamato argued.

"Well, if you put it that way… I'm paying him $500 a day, plus another $2000 outright as exclusivity surcharge." Ryu admitted slowly.

Yamato snorted. "That sly bastard. That's a lot more than I usually make a week. Tell you what, I'll make sure he waives that stupid exclusivity surcharge. It has never existed anyway. He just made it up to dupe you."

"Don't worry about it." Ryu said with a grin. "If anything, keep it for yourself."

"Wouldn't mind if I do! Maido ari!" Yamato called out as he closed the bathroom door behind him.

Ryu smiled and resumed reading the email he was looking at before Yamato came in. The spiteful words in the email were as harsh as they were an hour ago, but somehow Ryu felt that his heart was lighter.

* * *

"Oh crap." Ryu smacked his hand against his forehead later that night.

"What's wrong?" Yamato asked from the couch.

"I just realised… there's only one bed." Ryu said sheepishly.

Yamato tore his eyes away from the flat screen television he was watching and gave Ryu an amused look. "I don't mind the least; but if you do, then I'll take the couch."

"Uh…" Ryu hesitated. The truth was, the bed was a king-sized one; so it could easily fit both of them quite comfortably. Moreover, he thought that it would be incredibly impolite to ask Yamato to sleep on the couch for an entire week, no matter how comfortable it was. After all, he was the one who had invited Yamato to stay with him. The only thing that was stopping him was that he was basically going to be sharing a bed with a prostitute. "I guess we can share the bed…?" He said uncertainly.

"Great. Thanks!" Yamato resumed watching his television programme without so much of a blink.

Ryu pursed his lips nervously, but decided that he would go with the flow for the time being. He made his way towards the TV set and settled on an armchair next to Yamato. "What are you watching?"

"Just some food channel. It's like self-torture, but I do it anyway." Yamato laughed.

"Why is it self-torture?"

"Ah, that's right. You wouldn't know." Yamato mumbled under his breath. Raising his voice to a more audible volume, he asked. "Say, do you know how that brown thing tastes like?"

"That's foie gras, isn't it? It tastes like… a lump of fat, I guess?"

"So, like the fatty part of a pork belly?"

"Well, a little softer and a little more palatable; but… similar." Ryu decided, before the true meaning behind Yamato's question sunk in. "Oh, you've never had it…" He trailed off embarrassedly. "Let's go for dinner then, tomorrow."

Yamato switched the channel to the evening news. "I'm just messing with you. I can't eat all that fat anyway, gotta keep my figure!" He grinned, patting his butt showily as he got up.

Ryu could not help but stare at Yamato's curves, especially after they were brought to his attention. "Do you work out?"

"Not really." Yamato admitted. "I don't have any abs." He pulled open the top of the bathrobe he was wearing to expose his flat upper torso. Ryu mentally noted that Yamato was actually naked under the bathrobe. "I have strong hips and legs though, because of you-know-what." He gave a cheeky laugh.

If he could, Ryu wanted to bottle up that melodious laughter and listen to it every single day. It was strangely addictive and uplifting, just like Yamato himself.

"Are your clients mostly women or men?" Ryu asked in curiosity.

"Mostly men, actually. You see, men and women look for different characteristics. There are a lot more handsome guys in our agency, so the ladies tend to aim for them first. For some reason, my looks tend to appeal to men; including you apparently."

Ryu blushed a little. It was true that he had selected Yamato from among the pictures on the website, but it wasn't for that reason. "I thought you looked more professional."

Yamato cocked his head aside in thought. "Oh, I'm the only one whose display pictures is clothed, right?"

Ryu nodded. "I should have suspected that something was off when almost all the pictures are half-naked. I just thought that it was an American-style marketing strategy or something."

Yamato smiled widely, causing Ryu to feel flustered all over again. Why was he reacting so strangely to a guy? Is it just because he knew that he was a prostitute?

"Thank god I don't like baring my chest then!" Yamato exclaimed, lovingly caressing the leather couch he was sitting in. "If not, I wouldn't have gotten such a luxurious treat for a whole week!"

"Technically, it's because I want to get to know you more. What you wear has nothing to do with it." Ryu slapped Yamato's hand away from the couch in a friendly manner. "So, tell me more about yourself."

"What do you want to know?"

"Which school are you from? How old are you? What did you do in college? Why did you move to New York?"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down!" Yamato patted Ryu's back, causing a shiver of anticipation to flutter down the latter's spine. Thankfully, Ryu's reaction went unnoticed to Yamato. "I'm from Akadou, class of 2010. So I'm 23."

"You look barely legal." Ryu interjected.

"That's the charm." Yamato winked. "But you know I'm Yankumi's student, so I would have to be a high school graduate at least. I did management in college, but I dropped out after a year. What about you?"

Ryu did not missed the fact that Yamato had not answered the last question about why he moved to New York. He decided not to push the matter. Everyone was entitled to have a secret or two about themselves. "I'm from Kurogin, class of 2007, but I'm 27 years old."

"Failed a few times too many?" Yamato teased.

"Yup. Once in middle school and once in high school." Ryu laughed. "It's a miracle I even graduated."

"Miracle by the name of Yankumi, if I were to guess."

"You're absolutely right. I'm sorry for being such a terrible host, Yuyan, but I must go to bed. I've got to wake up early for a conference call tomorrow morning. Do feel free to help yourself to any of the amenities you want, whether it's the mini bar or room service or the like. I'll be out during the day, but I'll come pick you up for dinner. Wear your best suit, alright?"

"Uh…" Yamato started to say, before faltering.

"Yes?"

"Nevermind."

"Say it." Ryu insisted.

"I, uh, can I borrow yours?" Yamato asked hopefully.

Ryu looked at him strangely, before going 'oh' in a comical manner. He disappeared for a moment, and then came back and handed Yamato a platinum credit card. "Go get one for yourself tomorrow, choose something that you like."

"That's too much, Ryu, I can't accept that."

"Nonsense. This is just the same as lending you my clothes. It's not as if I'm going to take back anything you 'borrow' from me anyway."

Yamato kept silent for a second, but the temptation of a brand new, tailored suit proved too much to resist. "Oh okay, if you insist."

"I do. Good night, Yamato."

"Good night, Ryu."


	3. Chapter 3

The next day, Yamato wandered happily along 5th Avenue. For once, he could actually look at the mannequins in the windows without sinking into a bout of depression.

_'Should I go with the lounge coat, or just a dinner jacket? And should I go for plain or stripes? Two or three pins?' _His head was filled with nothing but excited thoughts as he entered the first department store, Saks Fifth Avenue.

"I'm sorry, but we don't entertain salesmen." A haughty looking shopkeeper marched up to him and said.

"Uh, I'm not selling anything."

"We don't do donations, charities, gospels or anything not incidental to our business as well."

"I'm here to shop, actually."

"I don't think you can afford anything in our store, _sir._" The shopkeeper said in a patronising tone. "Please do not dirty our clothes, you can't afford to pay for their cleaning either."

"Why you…" Yamato started to raise his voice, but thought better of it. He didn't think Ryu would be impressed if he caused a scene on 5th Avenue on the first day itself. Swallowing his pride and anger, he turned and left the store.

Deciding to try again, he walked into the next store.

"Welco— Oh, what do you want?" The shopkeeper spat at him.

Yamato gritted his teeth in irritation but held his temper. "I'm looking for a men's suit, please." He said as politely as he could manage.

"I'm afraid we don't cater for… your needs, mister. Why don't you try TJ Maxx on 8th Avenue instead?"

"Look here, I can afford to buy a suit just as much as you can!" Yamato raised his voice in anger.

"Please do not cause a scene in here, mister. You're disturbing our other customers. If you insist on not cooperating, I would have to summon the security."

Yamato dug his fingernails into his palms so hard that they drew blood. "Fine." He stalked out without a single word.

Upon exiting the store, he ran all the way back to the hotel. To his surprise, however, the guards at the entrance prevented him from entering. "Are you a guest here, sir?" They asked in a bored voice.

"Yes, I just left this morning! You saw me leave, didn't you?" Yamato asked one of the guards.

"You did leave this morning, sir, but that doesn't mean that you're a guest at the hotel. Do you have your room key, sir?"

Thankfully, Ryu had actually left a copy of the key card for him. Yamato grunted in barely-concealed annoyance and dug into his tight denim shorts pocket, finally producing the required key card. Waving it in their faces, he asked. "I take that this is enough?"

The guards exchanged a cautious look with one another, before stepping aside to allow him entry. "Have a good day, sir."

Just when he thought that his woes were over, the hotel manager approached him. "May I ask for your name, sir?"

Yamato pursed his lips. He did not like giving out his real name if he could help it; but his stage name, Yuyan, would probably give him away on the spot. "Ogata." He answered reluctantly.

"Nice to meet you, Ogata-sama. My name is Takeda Keita, and I'm the manager of this hotel. May I have a word with you in private?"

Once Manager Takeda's office door closed behind them, the man lost his gracious smile immediately. "I'll be honest with you, Ogata. I know what exactly your occupation is. And while Odagiri-sama may tolerate the company of the likes of you, I do not appreciate you tarnishing the reputation of this hotel. If you must hang around this place, then I would advise you to get some better-fitting clothes; or my guards are going to deny you entry the next time, key card or not."

By this point, Yamato's patience was barely hanging by a thread. Faced with the ultimatum from the hotel manager, he could no longer contain his temper.

"I TRIED, YOU FUCKING BASTARD!" He grabbed the hotel manager roughly by the collar. "I HAVE A FUCKING LIMITLESS CREDIT CARD AND A BLACK TIE DINNER TO ATTEND TONIGHT, BUT NONE OF THE STORES WOULD FUCKING SELL ME ANYTHING THE WHOLE MORNING!" He shoved the hotel manager into his seat and swept everything on the table onto the floor with a loud crash. "FUCKING JUDGMENTAL PEOPLE, THE LOT OF YOU! JUST BECAUSE I'M A PROSTITUTE DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN ACT ALL HOLIER-THAN-THOU ON ME! I HAVE MY REASONS TO DO WHAT I'M DOING, DO YOU? I ABIDE BY A STRICT MORAL CODE AND WOULD NEVER SLEEP WITH A MARRIED PERSON, DO YOU? TELL ME, HOW MANY ADULTEROUS COUPLES HAVE YOU PROVIDED A ROOM FOR? STOP JUDGING A PERSON JUST BECAUSE THEY DON'T EARN AS MUCH AS YOU!"

"Is that true? That you won't sleep with a married person? What if they offered you a million dollars?" The manager asked in a quiet voice. Yamato's words had hit him right in the gut. And the young man was right – if Yamato had never slept with a married person, then he was a much better person that the manager was. God knows he had received hundreds of calls and lied to countless suspicious spouses ever since he started this job.

"Yes." Yamato said firmly. "I knew exactly what I was getting into when I chose this job, and I knew exactly where to draw the line. I've never once crossed it, no matter how much money is being offered to me."

"That's actually pretty admirable, Ogata-san. While I still don't like your choice of profession, I must say that I respect you for your strong principles. If you would like, I can help you with your shopping?" The hotel manager offered softly.

Yamato looked up in surprise. His ego didn't want the hotel manager's help, but his rational mind wanted to make sure that he was appropriately dressed when Ryu pick him up later tonight. "Uh, sure. Thanks."

* * *

"This is my friend, Noda Takeshi. He is still an apprentice fashion designer, but I'm sure that he will be able to attend to your needs for today. Noda, this is Ogata-san. He's a guest of Odagiri-sama, a very important customer of mine." Manager Takeda introduced.

"Hi, Ogata-san. So, what are you looking for?" Noda was a feminine-looking guy with trimmed eyebrows and manicured nails. He definitely looked the part of a budding fashion designer.

"A suit." Yamato answered simply, since he still didn't know what he was looking for.

"Is this for a special occasion, or do you want it to be an all-occasion sort of formal wear?" Noda asked, all the while scribbling furiously on a notepad in front of him.

"Uh. It's for dinner tonight, but I guess something more generic would be better." Yamato said, hoping that Ryu would let him keep the suit after tonight.

"Hmm, I see. Now, would you prefer something shapelier, or something looser?"

"Why would anyone deliberately want something looser?" Yamato asked blankly before he could remember to hide his ignorance.

To his pleasant surprise, Noda did not appear the least scornful at his outburst. "It depends on the look you're trying to achieve. A looser suit will make you look more mature and more business-like. A shapelier suit, on the other hand, makes you look sexier and younger." Noda gave him a friendly smile.

Yamato felt himself relax just a little. It was good to be able to talk to someone without being prejudged. So far, the only two people who had treated him as an equal was Ryu and Noda. He turned his mind onto the task at hand. Technically, a more formal suit would be the wiser option; especially if he was trying to hide the nature of his job… But Ryu did ask him to get something he liked, didn't he?

"I'd like the shapelier option, please."

Noda jotted that down and closed his notebook. "Alright, come on, let's go shopping."

* * *

When Ryu walked into the hotel lobby that evening to meet his newest acquaintance, he was totally stunned.

Yamato was dressed in a sleek black suit that hugged every curve on his body perfectly. The slacks, while slightly loose-fitting, fitted him so well that he might as well have worn a pair of leotards. The suit accentuated the best parts of his body, such as his waist and hips; and boosted the not so perfect parts, such as his shoulders and chest. All in all, he looked like a god walking among mankind.

Straightening his tie, Ryu walked up to greet Yamato. "Hey."

"Oh hi, Ryu." Yamato greeted him readily. The end product that Noda picked for him had lifted his mood significantly from earlier in the day. "So, what do you think?" He gestured to his brand new suit.

"You look like a million dollars." Ryu assured him. Privately, Ryu thought that Yamato had just awoken every single gay cell in his body. _'Focus, Ryu! He's your friend!'_

"Thanks! So what's for dinner?" Yamato asked as they made their way to Ryu's limo waiting by the main entrance of the hotel.

"French, of course, what else?" Ryu answered. "We're going to order anything and everything on the menu that you can't read."

Yamato laughed. "That will probably include everything from sparkling water to rabbit ears, Ryu. I've never had French food... well, unless you count French fries."

"They are called pomme frites in French." Ryu corrected him but without a trace of disdain. "Whiskey?"

"You drink way too much, Ryu." Yamato commented, although he accepted the glass offered by Ryu.

"Tell me, Yamato, what would you do; if you suddenly became a billionaire?"

"Hmm… Retire from my job, travel the world, stay in the most luxurious hotels in the world, eat the best foods in the world… and drink the most expensive whiskeys like they're plain water."

"Ditto." Ryu chinked his whiskey glass against Yamato's. "So what did you do today?"

And so Yamato regaled his eventful shopping trip, from 5th Avenue to Trump Tower to the little alley shop owned by Noda and his friend. "So there you go!"

"I'm sorry they treated you so awfully in Saks, Yamato." Ryu said in the most apologetic voice, as though it was his fault that Yamato was mistreated. "I'll make sure I complain to their head offices first thing in the morning."

"Nah, don't worry about it!" Yamato said lightly. "I was pissed as fuck at first, but then I realised that if they haven't refused me this morning; I wouldn't have met Noda, so I'm pretty grateful that things worked out the way they did."

Ryu examined Yamato critically. "You're a very positive person, Yamato. And very forgiving as well."

Yamato set down his whiskey glass and leaned back into the leather seat of the limo. "Yankumi taught me that. Anger and hatred will only destroy us from the inside, so I choose to forgive instead. Everyone deserves a second chance, just like you and I did."

"Everyone deserves a second chance, huh…" Ryu stared thoughtfully into the distance.

* * *

"Escarrrrrrgo." Yamato tried for the umpteenth time as they headed back to their suite.

"It's es_car_got." Ryu repeated patiently. "You know what, why don't you just ring me up the next time you want to go to a French restaurant?" He half-joked. Somewhere in the inside of his heart, he was secretly willing it to come true.

"Sure, if you move to New York." Yamato answered good-naturedly.

Ryu crossed his hands in front of his chest. "Why don't you move back to Tokyo instead?" He pretended to demand grumpily.

A brief of pain flashed across Yamato's face, but it disappeared so fast that Ryu almost thought that he had imagined it. "Oh, come on." Yamato said in his usual jovial tone. "You're the one who can better afford to move between two different continents. If I move again, I'm going to go broke."

"I'll help you with it." Ryu said, half-jokingly and half-hopefully.

Yamato did not seem to have realised the change in Ryu's feelings. "Do you treat all your friends so well?" He asked as he busied himself drawing a bath. "Wouldn't you go broke if everyone took you up on your offers?"

Ryu hung up his jacket and tugged his tie loose. "Only the ones I really treasure." He replied, before adding as an afterthought. "Do you want to meet my best friend? He's here in New York as well."

"The bath is ready, Ryu." Yamato wiped his hands on a fresh towel. "Oh really? What does he do?"

"Thanks, Yamato. He's my advisor, of sorts. He works at my company as well. We're going to watch a professional billiard tournament tomorrow, are you interested?"

"Billiard? Of course! Former delinquent here, remember? Are you sure your friend won't mind me being there?"

"Of course not. He's a former delinquent too, so I'm sure you guys will get along splendidly."


	4. Chapter 4

Ryu was soaking in the tub when, out of a sudden, the image of Yamato in a suit earlier that evening flashed into his mind. He felt himself harden almost instantly. _'Shit, what the hell is wrong with me?'_ Ryu cursed inwardly. He had never gotten attracted to a friend before, much less a guy friend. He had pretty much condemned himself to a life of solidarity before Yamato came bouncing into his life.

He struggled with his feelings for a few moments before giving in and reached out to stroke his raging erection. Acutely aware of his object of fascination just on the other side of the bathroom door, Ryu kept his movements as quiet as possible; even going as far as sitting up on the ledge of the tub to make sure that there would not be any sloshing noises caused by the water.

Yamato, on the other hand, was getting worried about the eerie silence from the bathroom. The last thing he wanted was a dead client – and friend. His paranoid brain suddenly recalled his colleague's sister's best friend's neighbour's cousin's misfortune of drowning in the bathtub. Now positively fearing the worst, Yamato dashed into the bathroom to check on Ryu.

"RYU! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!"

Ryu gave a small yelp when Yamato walked in right just as he was stroking himself furiously. "Wha—"

Yamato sighed in relief when he realised that Ryu was still quite alive. "Uh, sorry…" He turned to exit the bathroom hastily. It took him about two steps before his delayed mind processed what he had seen Ryu doing. Yamato halted his steps immediately and turned to face Ryu.

"You know that I can help you with that, right?" He asked a brightly blushing Ryu.

"Uh, it's okay." Ryu rushed to cover himself. "Let's forget about this whole incident, please?" He pleaded.

Yamato considered the request for a few seconds. "It doesn't make sense to do that though. I'm being paid the entire time I spend with you, you might as well make use of me. Just close your eyes and imagine that I'm a girl if that bothers you."

"That's not the problem…" Ryu muttered under his breath.

"Come on." Yamato reached for Ryu's arm and dragged him onto the bed. "Close your eyes and just go with the flow. I won't make any sound, so you can just pretend that I'm whomever you want it to be."

Before Ryu could protest, he found himself stark naked and lying on the bed. Yamato had taken the liberty to pull the towel off his waist and was now wiping him dry – slowly and sensually. He opened his mouth to argue further, but Yamato just placed a finger between his lips and caressed his eyelids shut.

At the touch from Yamato's fingers, Ryu felt his brain shut off – literally – in a New York minute.

The soft fluffy towel continued moving, soaking up the remaining water droplets on his body. However, the 100% Egyptian cotton towel felt like sandpaper compared to the gentle, fluttering touches bestowed by Yamato's talented fingers. The soft digits ran down Ryu's body methodically, caressing every single surface there was on his body. Ryu felt his cock hardened even further, but all thoughts of shame had long since flew out the window. All he wanted was to have those angelic fingers wrapped around his aching cock.

Ryu tried to control himself as much as he could, but it felt like Yamato was taking an eternity just to wipe his upper torso dry. When he could not take it anymore, his hips bucked into the air desperately, and a soft whine escaped the confines of his lips. At that precise moment, Ryu felt a warm heat enclose around the entire length of his shaft and almost exploded in pleasure.

Yamato deep-throated Ryu's cock in one go; all the while keeping his hands busy on Ryu's muscled chest, and occasionally brushing a finger across an aroused nipple. Knowing that it was the only way he could ever express his gratitude to Ryu, Yamato gave his new friend and client the best he could offer. He sucked and licked expertly, until Ryu was nothing but a pile of moaning, needy mush under his ministrations.

When he felt Ryu's body tensing up in preparation for release, Yamato increased his pace and began to massage Ryu's balls and perineum. He could hear Ryu's breath hitch sharply; and just before he came, Ryu's lips let loose a soft – almost inaudible – gasp of _'Yamato'_.

Yamato felt a million different feelings coursing through him at the same time Ryu's cum shot down his throat. Was Ryu actually thinking about him the entire time? It was the first time anyone had called his real name in the throes of passion. It felt… intimate, loving, genuine.

Once he made sure that Ryu was completely sucked dry, he got up and retrieved a wet cloth without further ado. He was operating on autopilot now, uncertain of how to react or feel in light of the new course of events.

It was only when Ryu tried to pull away from him again that Yamato snapped out of his reverie. He scooted up close to Ryu's head and caressed his hair gently. "Shhh. Go to sleep now. Whatever it is, it can wait till tomorrow. Don't worry, just sleep."

Ryu tried to fight the fatigue that was threatening to set in, but Yamato's soft caressing won out and lulled him to sleep almost instantly.

* * *

When Ryu woke up the next morning, Yamato was still fast asleep; but the bathrobe he was wearing was riding up his thigh in an obscene manner. Ryu blushed and looked away, especially in the memory of last night's events. God, that was… How could he even describe that? And looking at Yamato now, with the creamy flesh peeking out; Ryu felt himself harden again. He groaned internally. _'Dude, you just had a go last night!'_ He chastised himself.

A few moments later, there was a rustling of the sheets from Yamato's side of the bed. Not knowing what to do or say, Ryu shut his eyes and pretended to sleep. From the movement of the bed, Ryu surmised that Yamato was getting out of bed. It was only after he heard the bathroom door close and the tap water running that he dared to open his eyes. Once the water stopped flowing, however, he shut his eyes tight again. To his surprise and utmost confusion, Yamato came out of the bathroom smelling fresh and minty; but chose to climb back under the covers with him instead of getting dressed for the day.

Ryu decided that pretending to sleep was just delaying the inevitable, so he opened one eye to peek at Yamato.

"Good morning, Ryu. Did you have a good sleep?" Yamato asked softly.

"Umm. Hmm. I did. Oh, and er, good morning." Ryu found himself tongue-tied when faced with Yamato.

Yamato reached out a hand to massage Ryu's scalp. "What's bothering you?"

"I'm sorry." Ryu sat up suddenly, accidentally knocking Yamato's hand out of the way. "I didn't mean to treat you in such a manner, I swear! All I meant to do was to be friends with you, and—"

"Ryu, it doesn't matter." Yamato interrupted. "At the end of the day, I'm still a prostitute. That is an undeniable fact. At least allow me to do this much for you."

"What are you talking about?" Ryu gripped Yamato's chin tightly, startling the latter with his movement. "Yamato, it doesn't matter to me if you're a prostitute. I invited you to stay here as my friend and my guest; that's why my behaviour last night is totally out of line."

"Ryu…"

Ryu belatedly realised that he was hurting Yamato and hurriedly released him. "Great, now I have assaulting a prostitute to add to my rap sheet." He gave Yamato an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. For everything"

Yamato shook his head. It wasn't the pain that bothered him. "I… thank you, Ryu." Hearing Ryu jump to his defence – against himself no less – was incredibly touching. "I'm sorry I forced you into it."

"You're making it sound like you raped me. I assure you that I was very consensual. Maybe even overly so." Ryu closed his eyes at the reminder.

Yamato smirked at him. "That you were." He teased, causing Ryu to pull the covers over his head in embarrassment. "The bath is already drawn, by the way. You can go get ready."

Ryu did not move a single bit. "Umm, do you think you can pass me a bathrobe?"

Yamato eyed the distance from the bed to the bathroom. It was less than 5 steps away. "Ryu, you've got nothing I've never seen before."

"Ugh, that's not the point…" Ryu muttered.

Regardless, Yamato did not budge an inch. It wasn't that he was lazy, he just thought that it was downright pointless. That, and he wanted Ryu to be more comfortable in his own suite. He didn't want Ryu to be tipping on his toes or covering himself up just for his sake.

Ryu sighed. He should have known that Yamato can be very stubborn when he wanted to. He was a delinquent, after all. "Fine, just, don't laugh. And… yeah." He crawled out of bed with his morning wood sticking out and ran to the bathroom as fast as he could.

At the sight, however, Yamato could not help himself. He burst out laughing. "You know, that's the first time someone tried to hide their arousal from me. Most people can't wait to shove it in my face, not caring if I was asleep or on the phone or even in the middle of a meal."

"Shut up. Do you enjoy seeing a friend die from embarrassment?" Ryu snatched at a towel to cover himself.

Yamato's mood sombred a little at the comment, for reasons unknown to Ryu. After a short deliberation, Yamato approached Ryu slowly. "I understand that you don't want to make use of me in that manner, but it's different when you obviously have the need. That's like…" Yamato struggled to find the right words. "That's like me wanting to buy a piece of prime property in Japan and resorting to a do-it-yourself conveyancing form on the Internet when you are right here in front of me."

Ryu snorted at Yamato's metaphor. "That really isn't comparable at all."

"Fine. Then what about you just separate my professional self from my personal self? You can call me Yuyan in bed, and Yamato elsewhere."

"That's really not necessary…" Ryu protested weakly. His head wanted to keep Yamato strictly as his friend, but the rest of his body was screaming for Yamato's touch.

Yamato closed the gap between them and breathed into Ryu's ear. "I can make you feel better, _Odagiri-sama_."

A small moan escaped Ryu's lips. "Yamato…"

"Yuyan." Yamato corrected. Truth was, he was still not accustomed to being called by his real name during sex.

"Mmm… Yuyan." Ryu felt his knees going weak.

"Good, Odagiri-sama. Come, let me bathe you."

Ryu allowed himself to be led into the bathroom. When Yamato closed the door behind them, Ryu felt his pace race in anticipation.

Yamato sat Ryu in the bathtub and scrubbed his back gently, drawing a satisfied groan from the latter. Then, slowly, Yamato ran the sponge down Ryu's hips and thighs; at the same time leaning forward to graze his earlobes with his teeth.

"Fuck…" Ryu breathed softly, marvelling at intense pleasure that was flowing through him. "Yama – Yuyan."

"What do you want from me, sir?" Yamato whispered as he nibbled on Ryu's collarbone. "Do you want to cum in my hands, mouth or ass?"

"Uh." Ryu mumbled in a daze. How could one choose between three such irresistible options?

"I don't think you want to get out of the warm water, and I don't think you're ready for sex; so we'll just go with a handjob, alright?" Yamato said in a low tone. "But you can fuck me tonight if you want."

"Huh?" Yamato's second offer caught Ryu totally off-guard.

Yamato took Ryu's erection in his right hand and began to pump it enthusiastically; while his left hand continued to roam all over Ryu's body, touching him everywhere from the base of his neck to the hollow behind his knees.

"Oh god…" Ryu gasped when Yamato ran a finger across the slit on the top of his cock.

"Cum for me, Odagiri-sama." Yamato murmured into Ryu's ear.

Ryu frowned at the usage of honorifics and his last name. He would very much prefer Yamato to address him by his given name, but it seemed like Yamato was bent on keeping his professional self separate from his personal self. In the end, it did not matter anyway; because Yamato's skills were more than enough to coax him over the edge. Ryu tightened his grip on the sides of the tub as he came with a violent lurch. Yamato used his free hand to stabilise Ryu almost instantly, at a level of familiarity that only an expert could achieve.

Suddenly, Ryu felt absolutely empty; and not just in his balls. It finally occurred to him that Yamato has done this to a lot more people other than him. As Yamato said earlier, he was just another client with a 'need'. A pang of loss filled his heart. Was it too much for him to wish that he was the only one Yamato touched from now on?


	5. Chapter 5

"Yo Ryu, who's the pretty boy?"

"That's my friend, Hayato. Be nice. His name is Yamato." Ryu warned in a stern voice.

"Yea, yea, keep your hair on." Hayato said cheerfully, although he was frowning on the inside. Ryu was not one to pick up strays for no reason. "So, where did you meet him?"

"Well, I guess you can say on the Internet…?"

"I know you're hiding something." Hayato nudged him in the side. "Come on, spill the beans."

"Oh, okay." Ryu relented. "But you have to promise to keep it a secret."

Hayato nodded without hesitation.

"He's a… _prostitute._" Ryu said the last part so softly that Hayato could not catch it the first time.

"Huh? A what?"

"Shhhhh! Keep your voice down! He's a – um – prostitute."

"You're kidding!" Hayato's eyes widened in shock. Ryu was the most prude person he had ever met. As far as Hayato knew, Ryu had not even lost his virginity!

"Um, no, it's true." Ryu gave him an awkward smile. "Our meeting wasn't intentional though. It was just a result of a series of misunderstandings."

"What kind of misunderstandings can lead _you_ into hiring a _prostitute_?" Hayato arched his eyebrows.

"For a week no less." Ryu revealed.

"A week? Are you fucking crazy?" Hayato almost shouted at him. "How much does that cost?"

"Shhhhh! About 7 grand."

"Jesus. Is he really that good in bed?"

"Don't be crazy. He's just keeping me company as a friend." Ryu lied.

Hayato rolled his eyes. "How old do you think I am, Ryu?"

"Okay, okay, but we've only gotten to third base. And even then, I didn't touch him at all." Ryu confessed to him.

"Was it good?" Hayato followed-up immediately.

"Incredible." Ryu managed to whisper, before Yamato came to hand him a drink.

"Nice to meet you, Hayato-san." Yamato greeted politely.

"Nice to meet you too, Yamato-san." Hayato smirked at him in a knowing manner.

Yamato shuffled uncomfortably. Why was Hayato looking at him like a piece of meat? It can't be…

He dragged Ryu into an empty corridor. "What did you tell Hayato about me?"

To his disappointment, Ryu did not look the slightest bit remorseful. "I told him everything."

"What?!" Yamato had never felt so betrayed in his entire life. "How could you?"

This time, Ryu appeared to be a little more cautious when he spoke. "But I thought you said that it's an undeniable fact…"

"Yes, it is an undeniable fact; but you also said that I was your friend! Well, friends don't go around introducing their friends as _that_!" Yamato pushed Ryu aside roughly.

"Wait, I'm sorry, Yamato." Ryu held onto Yamato's arm tightly, before releasing him post-haste when a staff member walked past the corridor in a distance. "I didn't know you minded. I'm sorry. I'll make sure he doesn't tell anyone."

"What I mind isn't the fact that he knows what I am, Ryu." Yamato said coldly. "What I mind is that that's how you view me after all, despite whatever pretty words you said. If you've ever thought of me as your friend, why would you want to degrade me in front of other people in such a manner?"

"I do think of you as my friend, Yamato. I'm really sorry." Ryu pleaded, cursing his tendency to hurt the people he loved the most. Why couldn't his brain work better in situations like this? He would rather his brain miss a few crucial calculations at work than to blurt out mindless things that were damaging to his friendship.

"Whatever. You know what, fuck you, and fuck this shit. I'm out of here." Yamato turned to leave.

"I'll come with you."

"Go socialise with your _friend_, Odagiri-sama. Little Yuyan can take care of himself." Yamato spat bitterly and marched out the door without looking back.

* * *

"I'm really sorry, Yamato. I've sworn Hayato to secrecy; and even threatened to hypnotise the knowledge out of his head if he didn't agree to keep it to himself for the rest of his life." Ryu said earnestly when he returned to the suite 10 minutes behind Yamato.

Yamato's lips curved slightly. "Did you really?"

"Yes, I even rang up a psychologist in front of him to ask if it was achievable. A Dr Klein-Warren assured me that it was." Ryu smiled in relief upon seeing the amusement in Yamato's eyes.

Yamato drew his lips into a thin line. "Fine. You're forgiven. But just this once."

Ryu nodded fervently. He had no intention of slipping up ever again. "Let me make it up to you. What would you like to eat tonight? I can fly you to Paris for authentic French food if that's what you wish for."

"Someone taught me long ago that friendships are best forged over a bowl of chashu ramen." Yamato replied with a tiny smile.

"That is true. Alright then, if that's what you wish for."

* * *

"Who's calling you?" Yamato asked after Ryu's phone rang for the millionth time that evening.

"Nobody important, don't worry." Ryu answered shortly, switching off his phone.

"It must be important, if the person called you more than 50 times in less than two hours." Yamato reasoned.

"It's just Hayato." Ryu said. "I'll talk to him tomorrow."

"Are you sure? It might be related to your business or something."

"Well, friendships are more important." Ryu raised his saké glass for a toast. "To an everlasting friendship with my new best friend, Ogata Yamato."

"That's fucking cheesy." Yamato said, but he raised his glass all the same. "The next thing I know, you're going to be saying stuff like 'let's sweat together from the bottom of our hearts'."

Ryu laughed. "To be fair, the last person who said that did change my life for the better; so it can't be that bad."

"It _is_ bad." Yamato disagreed. "And you wouldn't have given her the time of the day if she wasn't an even stronger fighter than you."

"Actually, the first time she came to my rescue wasn't during a fight—" Ryu started to say, before they were interrupted by a loud voice.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING, RYU? I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR YOU ALL NIGHT! DON'T TELL ME YOU FORGOT ABOUT THE DINNER THAT WE WERE SUPPOSED TO HAVE TONIGHT?!" An extremely furious Hayato yelled from across the restaurant.

"I already told you that I'll be busy, Hayato." Ryu said calmly from his seat.

"I DIDN'T THINK THAT THAT WOULD INCLUDE THE DINNER! DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO ARISE? AND YOU'RE SITTING HERE EATING BLOODY FUCKING RAMEN AND CHATTING TO A WHORE!"

"Watch your mouth, Hayato. And stop making a scene in here. It's your fault for making the wrong assumptions. And if it's that important to you; you could have just handled the dinner by yourself."

"IF IT'S THAT IMPORTANT TO _ME_?" Hayato echoed incredulously. "Ryu, this is the big break we've been waiting for! 5 years, Ryu! Five whole years of planning and waiting and watching for that old man to give in… and you just blew that up for… whatever this is." He threw Yamato a dirty look.

"One more word against Yamato, Hayato; and I'm going to hit you, best friend or not." Ryu curled his fist in a warning manner. "Plus, this is my decision. Leave Yamato out of it."

Hayato sneered. "Fine. Have it your way then. I literally had to get down on my knees to beg them, but I managed to schedule a dinner for tomorrow night. 8pm at The Riverside. To attend or to not attend, you make the call." He turned and stalked out of the restaurant.

"Ryu?" Yamato asked questioningly after Hayato left. "What was that about?"

"Don't worry about him." Ryu resumed eating as though nothing had happened. "Hayato tends to overreact sometimes. All the time, actually." He amended after some thought.

"Why didn't you go for the dinner though? It sounded important." Yamato pressed on. Now he felt guilty for coming in between Ryu and his business.

"It's just a dinner. I think I'm entitled to choose whomever I want to eat it with." Ryu smiled. "Now forget about Hayato. He can be an ass sometimes. I'm sorry if he made you feel uncomfortable."

"Uh, it's okay. It's not your fault." Yamato mumbled.

"Hayato's a good person." Ryu said, more to himself than to Yamato. "He just gets so… worked up… when things doesn't go his way. Do you know that he once drove me out of school just because I refused to go for a fight?"

"What?! I mean, I get why he would be pissed, but to drive you out of school…?"

"I told you, Hayato tends to overreact when things don't go his way. He's like one of those kids that throw a tantrum in the candy store just because his mother refuses to buy him five candies instead of four."

Yamato shuddered. "No offence, but that sounds scary."

"The tantrum-throwing kids part, or the Hayato part?"

"Both, I guess."

"You're right. Luckily, I know how to handle Hayato – well, most of the time, anyway. Today just happened to be one of my off-days." Ryu brushed the matter off inconsequentially. "So, yeah, don't worry about that overgrown baby. Cheers."

"Cheers, Ryu. And thanks for dinner."

* * *

"I'll bathe you tonight." Yamato declared suddenly when they got back to the suite.

"What? Why?" Ryu exclaimed in shock. "No, it's okay, thanks."

Yamato shook his head. "I've got a feeling that you are going to just jerk yourself off in the bathroom again, and I can't allow that."

Ryu's cheeks pinked. "I… won't." He said, although he wasn't sure if he could keep his promise.

Unfortunately, Yamato seemed to be thinking along the same lines as well. "I don't believe you. Come on, you survived it this morning; I'm sure you can survive another one as well."

"That was… driven by circumstances…" Ryu protested feebly.

Yamato tapped his fingers in thought. "Fine, then I won't touch you unnecessarily unless you get aroused."

Ryu sighed. _'You touching me is precisely the reason why I get aroused, Yamato.' _It looked like this was going to be an endless cycle. The more Yamato touched him, the more easily aroused he was going to be; and the more frequently he got aroused, the more frequently Yamato was going to touch him. Ryu both desired and feared it at the same time.

"On the condition that you stop calling me Odagiri-sama." He spoke up finally.

Yamato frowned a little. "Will Odagiri-san work?"

"No."

"Odagiri?"

"No last names in any form."

"Then I'll just refrain from addressing you by name."

"Fine." Ryu gave in. Not being addressed at all was better than being called 'Odagiri-sama'. He didn't need the constant reminder that he was 'just a client'.

"Now, let's get these clothes off you…"

* * *

To Ryu's mixture of horror and delight, instead of sitting on the ledge of the bathtub as he did this morning; Yamato shed his bathrobe and joined him in the tub.

"What are you doing?" Ryu asked.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm taking a bath with you."

"That's…" Ryu could not find the right words to speak. _'Great? Dangerous? Torturing?'_

"Environmentally-friendly." Yamato finished Ryu's sentence cheekily.

"You're so beautiful…" Ryu blurted out before he could stop himself.

Yamato stopped in his tracks. "Thank you." He said softly. "You can touch me, if you want."

Ryu wanted to say no, but his traitorous body simply refused to comply. Slowly, he reached out a finger to trace the curve of Yamato's waist.

Yamato sat back quietly as he allowed Ryu to caress his body. Ryu's touch was shy and tentative, but Yamato found that he liked it a lot. It was warm and appreciative, as if he was really the one Ryu was thinking about; as opposed to whomever it was in his imagination. Yamato could always tell the general characteristics of his clients' mental image from the way they touched him. If they touched his face and the back of his thigh, then they were thinking of a teenage boy. If they touched his nipples and the small of his back, then they were thinking of a young lady. But Ryu… For some reason, it felt like Ryu was thinking about him. Right now, Ryu was tracing the contours of his body slowly and meticulously, almost as if he was trying to commit them to memory. Yamato mentally chastised himself and got rid of the thought immediately.

"Shit." Yamato cursed loudly when Ryu ran a finger over his nipples.

Ryu halted his movements at once. "Are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah. I'm fine." Yamato took a deep breath. "It's just… I… I got aroused. But don't worry about me. Just continue doing what you want to do."

However, Ryu did not resume his previous ministrations right away. "What do you mean? Don't you usually get aroused when you're… you know?"

Yamato took Ryu's hand and placed it back to where it was before. "No, not really; unless I'm supposed to be the penetrating partner."

"Oh." Ryu bit his lip. "Is it because you don't want to, or because you can't be bothered to?"

"Both, I guess." Yamato admitted. "I don't want to, because it affects my performance; and I can't be bothered to, because I don't get to finish anyway."

Ryu sat up straight. "Oh my god, I can't believe I was such an ass! I'm so sorry…"

"What are you sorry about?" Yamato looked utterly perplexed.

"About last night, and this morning… I didn't even check on you…"

"Oh, don't worry about it. I wasn't aroused then." Yamato said nonchalantly. It really was no big deal to him. None of his clients ever bothered to check on him anyway.

"But still, I should have asked. I'm so sorry…"

"It's alright. Stop apologising so much." Yamato touched Ryu's face gently. "You're affecting my professionalism."

Ryu bit his lip in contemplation for a few seconds. Finally making a decision, he got up and pulled Yamato out of the water, and then laid him down on the bed. Then, in a role-reversal sort of way, he started to dry Yamato's body with a towel.

Yamato held out a hand to stop him. "I think you're forgetting who's the prostitute and who's the client here."

Ryu lowered Yamato's hand back onto the bed. "I've forgotten about that long ago, Yamato."

"Yuyan." Yamato corrected automatically.

"No, it's not Yuyan that I see." Ryu looked into Yamato's eyes, before slowly lowering his face towards his lips.

At the last moment, however, Yamato turned his face aside. "I'm sorry… I… I don't kiss my clients on the lips." He mumbled into the pillow.

Ryu felt a piece of his heart shattering, but he simply nodded understandingly at Yamato. "Oh, I see." He settled on kissing Yamato's neck instead. Then, he continued with a trail of kisses down the centre of Yamato's torso.

When he got to the crotch area, Ryu paused for a split second. He had never done this before, but he thought that he could probably replicate it from memory. Cautiously, he stuck out his tongue and licked the tip of Yamato's cock.

A sharp hiss from Yamato caused Ryu to back away at lightning speed. "I'm so sorry!" He said in panic.

Yamato sat up to calm Ryu down. He had almost forgotten how inexperienced Ryu was when it came to sexual contact with the male gender. "I wasn't in pain. I just… haven't had a blowjob in a while."

"Really?" Ryu couldn't help voicing his curiosity. He had been worried that he would be doing a terrible job compared to Yamato's past experiences.

Yamato pursed his lips. "Yes, I generally don't get 'treats'. Anyway, I'm all dry now. It's your turn." He reached for the towel hanging around Ryu's neck.

Ryu waved Yamato's hand away. "I'm not done yet. Lie down."

Yamato frowned, but did as he was asked to.

Feeling a lot more confident this time, Ryu lowered his head and took Yamato's cock into his mouth.

"FUCK." Yamato gasped again. "You – AH – don't have to – OH GOD – do this."

Ryu just ignored Yamato and continued with his mission, thoroughly enjoying every little noise that was coming out of Yamato's mouth.

Then, Ryu tried to take all of Yamato's length down his throat as he remembered Yamato doing to him; but found that he could not do so without gagging. Yamato caressed Ryu's hair gently. "Don't injure yourself. That's a very high-level move."

Ryu mentally pouted but did not attempt it again. In order to compensate for the lack of depth, he wrapped his fingers around the base of Yamato's cock and began pumping him according to the rhythm of his sucking.

"Oh, sweet Jesus." Yamato's fingers tightened into a knot in Ryu's hair. "That's so good."

A few heavenly minutes later, Yamato could feel the familiar heat starting to pool in his stomach. "Ugh. Oda—" He started, before recalling Ryu's precondition. What should he call Ryu? He couldn't call him by name, he simply couldn't. "Uh, sir…"

Ryu looked up at him questioningly.

"I'm going to cum soon." Yamato told him so that he could move away in time.

Ryu, of course, did no such thing. He merely nodded and continued sucking on Yamato's cock as fervently as before.

Yamato tugged on Ryu's hair urgently. "I mean it, I'm really close… You should… Oh my god, fuck, AHHH!" Yamato screamed as he felt a massive orgasm rocking through his body; his disobedient cock shooting cum right into Ryu's mouth.

When he recovered from his post-orgasm bliss, he found Ryu lying next to him and the bed in a relatively dry state. "Did you… swallow?"

"Yeah." Ryu licked his lips absent-mindedly. "It didn't taste half as bad as I thought."

"You didn't have to, you know. Most people don't."

Ryu stared at him. "But you did."

"I'm… different." Yamato did not know how to explain to Ryu. "Wait, don't tell me you haven't got a blowjob before?"

Ryu looked away embarrassedly. "I have, but… they were nothing like that. I've never been able to… climax… from a blowjob before last night."

"Oh." Yamato felt relieved but proud of himself at the same time. "Well, what can I say, I'm a professional." He puffed out his chest smugly.

"According to that logic, then I'm a professional too." Ryu teased.

"Hmm. Do you want me to introduce you to my manager then?"

Ryu smiled and pulled Yamato into an embrace. "How about I just serve you?"

Yamato felt his breath hitch slightly. He never had a problem with proximity, but Ryu's closeness was making him a little nervous. It was that feeling again – like he was the one Ryu wanted, not someone else. Yamato wasn't used to people wanting him. They wanted his body, yes; but not him. There was always someone else at the front of their minds. If not, then it was sexy little Yuyan that they wanted. The little Yuyan who was always ready to tend to their needs without demanding anything in return.

For the second time of the day, he forced himself to put the thought out of his head. This was exactly what have caused the downfall of most of his colleagues. Getting emotionally tangled with their clients. Rolling Ryu onto his back, Yamato set to work.

"Mmm. In that case, I better introduce you to the full extent of _my_ professionalism." Yamato whispered as he straddled Ryu's hips.

Ryu took a huge gulp. Did Yamato mean…?

"I'm clean, and you don't look like you have any STDs either. Is bareback okay?" Yamato checked with Ryu.

Ryu could only nod dumbly.

Upon receiving the green light, Yamato got off the bed and came back with a bottle of clear fluid. "It's water-based; so unless you're crazily allergic to water or something, you should be fine. Just lie back and let me do the work."

Ryu stared at Yamato in a daze, not daring to believe what was going to happen in a few moment's time. He had known that Yamato was a prostitute, of course, and they had gotten to third base just the night before; but it still felt totally surreal to be doing… this.

Yamato's movements were absolutely mesmerising, in Ryu's opinion. There was no awkward fumbling or uncomfortable shifting whatsoever; just calm, graceful movements. Yamato started by lying on his back with his knees pulled up and his hands between his legs. Using a small amount of lubricant, he began to stretch himself; first with one finger, followed by two and so on. Once he was done, he wiped his hands on a clean towel and turned his attention on Ryu.

Climbing back on top, Yamato's fingers tweaked at Ryu's nipples; which caused the latter to let out a small, undignified squeak. Yamato had brushed against his nipples last night and this morning, but this was the first time anyone had actually played with it. Ryu found that he liked it – but to be fair, he would probably like anything that Yamato did.

Oblivious to Ryu's musings, Yamato continued to explore Ryu's body; nibbling on his ear and neck and shoulders, as well as stroking his thigh and hips, but deliberately staying away from his erect cock. At last, when Ryu could no longer get any more aroused, Yamato reached out to taste the pearly drop of pre-cum.

"Oh holy—" Ryu gave a strangled cry.

"Are you ready?" Yamato asked softly.

Ryu gazed into Yamato's eyes contemplatively, as though he was searching for something; and finally gave a tiny nod.

"Okay, here I go." In one swift motion, Yamato had covered Ryu's cock in a thin layer of lube and proceeded to lower himself onto Ryu's cock.

"AHHHHH." Words failed Ryu as he felt Yamato's tight heat enclosed around his cock. It was beyond any sensation that he could ever imagine. For a moment, nothing registered in his mind except for the pure pleasure on his cock.

"I'm going to move now." Yamato's voice penetrated his foggy mind. Ryu did not have time to react before Yamato started to ride him, bringing a wave of heavenly friction to his cock.

"Yamato…" Ryu managed to utter.

Yamato did not bother to correct Ryu anymore. He still felt a little weird to be called by his real name, but Ryu was obviously adamant on it, for reasons unfathomable to Yamato. And to be perfectly honest, he found that he didn't mind it too much.

"You feel good too…" Yamato left the sentence hanging when he realised that he couldn't address Ryu by name.

Ryu reached out and pulled Yamato down so that their torsos were touching. "Call me Ryu, Yamato."

Yamato closed his eyes. "I… can't."

Ryu was disappointed, although not for long – not with that distracting pleasure still coursing through his veins. He did not release Yamato, however. Pressing Yamato close to his chest, he began to buck his hips and thrust into Yamato on his own accord.

"OH!" Yamato gasped when Ryu changed his angle slightly.

"What is it?" Ryu asked concernedly. He was still deathly afraid that he would hurt Yamato by accident due to his inexperience.

"Again." Yamato breathed, which Ryu complied. "YES, there, more, please!" Yamato didn't usually demand to be pleasured, but his gut feeling told him that Ryu wouldn't mind. "Oh god, yes. Fuck me harder."

"As you wish, Yamato." Ryu was more than willing to satisfy Yamato. He increased his pace and pounded into Yamato as hard as he could.

Yamato, too, began to ride Ryu furiously, meeting him thrust for thrust. He couldn't recall the last time he have had such passionate sex, if ever. He wanted – needed – more of Ryu. He snuck his hands between their chests and pinched Ryu's nipples, drawing a loud moan from the latter. Ryu responded by wrapping his hands around Yamato's waist as tightly as he could.

Yamato could see that Ryu was close – heck, he was bloody close too – but he knew that he had to stave it off until Ryu came first. And so he focused on controlling himself, all the while praying that Ryu would finish soon. "Cum… cum in me…" He panted in between breaths.

"You… first…" Ryu grunted back.

"No… you're my… client."

Ryu didn't have time to protest. All he could manage was "Together…" before both of them exploded in pure bliss, their bodies pressed as tightly as they could against one another – Ryu with a keen cry of "Yamato!" and Yamato with a soft whisper of "R–Ryu…"

Yamato slumped on top of Ryu in exhaustion, but tried his best to move himself once he started to regain control of his limbs. Ryu tightened his hold on Yamato's waist. "Stay." He murmured through half-lidded eyes.

"I've got to… clean you up." Yamato mumbled tiredly.

"No. Stay." Ryu repeated and held Yamato in his arms until they both fell asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Yamato woke up the next morning to someone nuzzling the top of his head. He opened his eyes and realised that he was still lying on top of Ryu. A small yelp escaped his lips as he sprang apart from Ryu and tried to get out of bed.

Ryu was having none of that, however. He pulled Yamato back just before he could leave the bed. "Stay."

Yamato shook his head fervently and gestured towards the bathroom.

Ryu furrowed his brows. "Do you need to use the loo?" He pretended to ask.

Yamato shook his head, but continued to try to pry himself free from Ryu's grip.

"Or… are you going to go wash up and then crawl back into bed?" Ryu voiced out his suspicions.

Yamato stopped struggling and looked up at him with a guilty expression.

"I'm right, then. Why do you do that?" Ryu asked.

"Morning breath. Sweat. Bed hair." Yamato muttered into the bed.

"You look, sound and smell just fine to me." Ryu said, kissing Yamato on the forehead. "Good morning."

Yamato brooded for a while, before opening his mouth just a tiny bit. "Good morning." He mumbled.

"Stop worrying so much, Yamato. Yes, you do have morning breath, but I don't mind it one bit. If anything, it makes me less guilty for having it as well." Ryu laughed lightly.

"That's like asking someone not to bathe just because you stink." Yamato argued back.

"As usual, your metaphors suck." Ryu commented. "As opposed to someone who chooses not to bathe, I simply woke up from a good night's sleep; so there's nothing inherently wrong about it. And no sane person washes themselves up just to get back into bed."

"It's part of my job, Ryu."

"Stop saying that, Yamato." Ryu gazed at him sternly. "Nothing is 'your job' ever since the first day you entered this suite. Your 'job' is to just relax; not to run my bath, bathe me, have sex with me, or to wake up next to me smelling like a eucalyptus tree."

"Oh, alright." Yamato surrendered and shifted himself to lie beside Ryu instead. "I didn't expect you to be the cuddling type."

"Me neither." Ryu said with a small smile.

"So you weren't the cuddling type before?"

"I wouldn't know." Ryu answered simply.

"True. But I mean with the girls? Did you enjoy cuddling?"

"What girls?"

"The girls you've…" Yamato trailed off when he realised what Ryu was trying to tell him. "There weren't any?"

"Nope."

"Oh god… Do you mean… Did I take your virginity?" Yamato was beyond horrified at the revelation.

"I didn't know that that's such a terrible prospect to behold." Ryu said dryly.

"No, no, I mean, not like that… But… your first time is supposed to be special! Not with someone like me…"

"You are someone special. And I gave it to someone that I wanted to, not some girl hoping that she'll get an LV bag delivered to her doorstep the next day."

"I'm not that much different from them, Ryu. I'm hoping to get paid at the end of this week too." Yamato murmured.

Ryu curled a strand of Yamato's hair around his finger. "You _are_ different. I looked into your eyes last night and saw 'Ryu' reflecting back at me; not 'the heir to the Odagiri fortune' or 'a rich guy' or 'a ticket to a better life'.

Yamato's brain lit up in enlightenment. So that was what it was about – the gaze that Ryu had given him right before sex. "Were there many people who have tried to take you to bed?"

Ryu shrugged. "I guess? There were a lot of advances in the beginning, but I hardly notice them anymore nowadays. I generally keep my distance from people, I don't talk or entertain clients outside business meetings."

"Hmmm." Yamato hummed in understanding.

"Was your first time special?" Ryu asked abruptly after a few moments of silence. Perhaps it was better not to know, but he simply could not contain his curiosity.

Yamato snorted. "Only if you consider a training session special."

"A training session?"

"You know, where we learn how to do the things we do."

"Oh… I thought it was just from experience…" Ryu said sheepishly.

"You're right, most of it boils down to experience; but we had to learn the basics first, of course."

"What about now? Do you still undergo… training?"

"Hmm, should I worry about you stealing our trade secrets?" Yamato trailed a finger down Ryu's chest teasingly. "I do have a training partner, but nowadays we only sleep with each other every 6 months or so. Just to make sure we're still performing up to standard and all that. But the last time the assessment came around, we couldn't be bothered to get it on; so we just lied to our manager and said that we did it." Yamato laughed. "I hope I'm still doing a good job."

"I'll be sure to complain about your performance to your manager at the end of the week." Ryu said with a smile. "Is your partner a guy or a girl?"

"Why is that important?" Yamato questioned back.

"Well, if she's a girl then I was thinking of volunteering to be your guy partner." Ryu said solemnly. "After all, you said that you have both male and female clients." To be perfectly honest, he just didn't like the thought of anyone being Yamato's partner, even if they only slept together every half a year.

"Bad luck then, he's a guy." Yamato smirked. "Why, are you feeling jealous?"

Ryu kissed Yamato on the cheek. "Very. Should I beat him up?"

"Oh no you won't. I will never forgive you if you ever lay a finger on him." Deciding to rile Ryu up a little more, Yamato added slyly. "Did I mention that he's my roommate?"

Ryu almost suffocated Yamato with the resulting hug. "That's it. I'm kidnapping you back to Japan with me." He planted a big, sloppy kiss on Yamato's forehead.

"Ewwww. Ryu!" Yamato wiped the saliva off his face. At that moment, it occurred to him that Ryu had been showering him with kisses non-stop ever since they woke up this morning. "Ryu, not that I'm complaining; but is there a reason why you enjoy getting slobber all over my face?" He asked in a casual tone.

"Mmm. That's because I love you, of course!" Ryu responded in an equally teasing manner.

Yamato laughed aloud, but inside he was panicking. _'Please don't fall in love with me, Ryu. Please. I really don't want to hurt you.'_ He cleared his throat. "I'll tell Reita that he has some competition."

"Reita, huh?" Ryu committed the name to memory. "By the way, Yamato, do you want to go for dinner with me tonight?"

"Don't you have the important dinner tonight?" Yamato asked. "You better not ditch it again, or Hayato is going to go ballistic."

"I'm not ditching it." Ryu smiled. "I want you to come with me."

"Me? I don't know anything about your business though."

"It's probably just going to be a normal dinner conversation, so don't worry."

"Why don't you bring Hayato instead? I'm sure he knows what to say better than I do."

"Not true. You're a guest relations officer, aren't you?" Ryu teased. "Hayato is a consultant, not a socialite."

"If you're sure…"

"I am. Now, get dressed. We have a new dinner jacket to shop for." Ryu dragged Yamato out of bed.

* * *

"I don't need a new jacket, Ryu. The one I bought with Noda the day before yesterday is perfectly fine."

"Then buy something else instead. I want you to shop to your heart's content." Ryu said as they stepped onto 5th Avenue.

Yamato gnawed on his bottom lip self-consciously. He was wearing a similar outfit as the other day – all his casual clothes were like _that_.

"Don't worry, you look absolutely gorgeous." Ryu offered his arm to Yamato. "Barneys or Lords, you think?"

Yamato hooked his arm through Ryu's and relaxed a little. "Definitely Lords."

As the day progressed, Yamato's smile began to widen more and more. They had gone to Lords and Taylors, Prada, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Salvatore Ferragamo and a lot of other stores; and Ryu had bought him something in every single store that they entered.

"That's enough, Ryu!" Yamato laughed as Ryu tried to persuade him to choose another pair of leather boots. "I can't carry it anymore!"

Ryu kissed his forehead. "I'll call the chauffeur over so that you can put them into the limo."

"Don't be silly. I don't need so much stuff!" Yamato said, although he was beaming in absolute delight. "I've already bought five pairs of shoes!"

"You deserve this and so much more, Yamato." Ryu informed him matter-of-factly.

Yamato tipped his toes to kiss Ryu on the nose. "Thank you, Ryu."

Ryu grinned happily upon receiving the kiss. "Now, let's load all these into the limo right in front of those snobs from Saks; what do you think?" He said with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Yamato pursed his lips in an attempt to hide a smile. This was like hanging out with _him_ all over again. If only _he _was still here... Oh, how much he missed _him_... Yamato mentally shook himself and put the stray thoughts out of his head. He grinned at Ryu. "In that case, I think I might need another pair of boots."

Ryu smirked at him. "I knew you would say that. Come, I think this navy one will look really good on you."

* * *

With their hands full, they slowly made their way towards Saks Fifth Avenue. Right at the entrance of the department store, Ryu pretended to peer inside and asked. "Yamato, dear, do you want to have a look here?"

"Please, do come in." The shopkeeper by the door said in the most polite tone possible.

Yamato threw the shopkeeper a careless glance. "I wouldn't bother, Ryu. The people who work here don't seem to want my business."

"Oh, really? That's such a pity." Ryu exclaimed in a regretful voice. "In that case, shall we move to our next shop?"

"My arms are getting tired from carrying all these bags, Ryu." Yamato pouted. "Can you call the limo to pick them up?"

"Of course, my dear. Anything at all for you."

Yamato looked back and sneered at the stricken shopkeeper one last time, before climbing into the limo and slammed the door with a bang.

* * *

"OH MY GOD THAT FELT SOOOOOOO GOOD!" Yamato shouted in glee as they drove away from the store.

"I'm glad, Yamato." Ryu smiled at him kindly. "Those people totally deserved it for snubbing my beloved."

"Thank you so, so much, Ryu!" Yamato threw his arms around Ryu's neck. "For everything."

Ryu squeezed Yamato hand and brought it up to his lips. "Nothing but the best for you, Yamato. This is my promise to you."

Yamato's eyes were shining with gratitude. "I'm starting to wish that this week will never end."

"If that is so, then I will make sure that your wish comes true." Ryu answered cryptically, before dropping the subject for the rest of the day.


	7. Chapter 7

"Kuroda-san and Wakamatsu-san, it's nice to meet you. This is my associate, Ogata Yamato. He's new on the job." Ryu introduced at the dinner table that evening.

"Nice to meet you, Kuroda-san, Wakamatsu-san." Yamato greeted politely.

The two men nodded at them but did not say anything. They were obviously still a little disgruntled about being stood up last night.

"I'm sorry about the miscommunication last night, Kuroda-san." Ryu lied smoothly. "I'm afraid my consultant got the date mixed-up. I had no idea that the dinner was supposed to be last night until about 10pm. I'm so sorry. I'll make sure to supervise my staff members a little closer from now onwards."

"I guess it happens sometimes." Kuroda answered after hearing Ryu's explanation. "It's a big company after all; memos and messages can get misdelivered sometimes."

"Thank you so much for your understanding, Kuroda-san." Ryu bowed his head in humility.

Yamato marvelled at Ryu's sweet talk. Ryu had not blinked a single time, despite having told lies after lies. As the night progressed, he also realised that Ryu actually managed to keep track of everything he said; because he did not contradict himself a single time. In fact, his cover story was so elaborate and flawless that Yamato would have been convinced that it were true; if not for the fact that Ryu was having ramen with him last night.

"Tell me about yourself, Ogata-san." Wakamatsu said midway through dinner.

"Oh, there's absolutely nothing interesting about me, Wakamatsu-san. What about you? What made you decide to move to New York?" Yamato was an expert at deflecting conversation and getting people to open up about themselves. It was part of his job description, after all.

And so Wakamatsu began to tell them about his family, as well as the problems and financial struggles faced by their company, the Oedo Family Company. It was a family-owned business that has been handed down from generations to generations in the Kuroda family. However, his adopted father, Kuroda Ryuichiro, was the last living member of that family, and was fast approaching 80 years old. There was simply no way he could continue running the company. And while Kuroda would love to hand the company to Wakamatsu, it wasn't allowed by the company charter. The reason was because when the company was first conceived, Kuroda's forefathers' intention was to prevent the company from falling into the hands of outsiders. Little did they know that their massive family would one day come to a biological dead-end.

Kuroda mentioned that he was sad to let the company go, mainly because it has become a symbol of their family. For the past three generations, every head had added a new division to the company or spearheaded a new venture in some form. So, in a way, when one looked at the history of the Oedo Family Company; one could also see the history of the Kuroda family itself.

"If we sell the property to you; what are your plans for it, Odagiri-san?" Kuroda asked.

Ryu set down his wine glass. "While I understand your attachment to the company and the property, Kuroda-san, Wakamatsu-san; I am an investment property consultant. So, to maximise the yield I can get, I'm planning to tear down the office building, subdivide the land into 10 different lots, develop the land into prime property material, and then sell them piece by piece."

"Piece by piece…" Old man Kuroda held his heart in shock.

"Oyasan! Are you okay?" Wakamatsu rushed to Kuroda's side immediately. "How could you be so heartless?" He glared at Ryu.

"I'm fine…" Kuroda patted Wakamatsu's hand reassuringly. He looked up at Ryu. "Is there any way we can change your mind…?"

Ryu shook his head. "I'm afraid not. That piece of property is too valuable to be sold as a whole. The difference in the price that it can fetch as subdivisions will be at least 5 times the price that it can fetch as an individual lot."

Yamato looked between Ryu and the old man sadly but chose to keep silent. This was a different world than what he was used to. Maybe he did the right thing by dropping out of college after all. He still got emotional or depressed clients from time to time; but he was always the one who help them forget about their sorrows, rather than the one who cause them grief.

"Can you give me some time to think about it?" Old man Kuroda asked quietly.

Ryu lowered his head. "My offer only stands until the end of the week. Please let me know by Friday evening."

"Why you little son of a bitch!" Wakamatsu grabbed Ryu's collar roughly. "Another week or two won't affect your business at all! You just want to force us to the brink of desperation, don't you?"

"Wakatmatsu." Old man Kuroda intoned sternly. "Odagiri-san is just carrying out his business. It is not his fault that we have no other options to fall back on."

"But…"

"That is enough. Odagiri-san, Ogata-san, thank you for the meal, but I'm afraid we'll have to take our leave. Please excuse us." Kuroda set down his napkin and left the restaurant, with Wakamatsu following closely by his heels.

Yamato stared at the half-eaten plates on the table. There was no way the old man have had his fill, so he must have left in an attempt to preserve his ego.

Yamato turned his attention on Ryu. The usually cheerful businessman was in a sombre mood. "Are you okay?" Yamato touched the curve of Ryu's elbow softly.

Ryu fiddled with his napkin listlessly. "I'm a horrible person, aren't I?"

"Uh…"

"I am." Ryu said. "What's worse is that I know that my actions are despicable, but I still do them nonetheless."

"Why then?" Yamato asked.

Ryu shrugged. "Money. Business goals. Success."

"Aren't you already rich and successful?" Yamato tried to make sense of what Ryu was saying.

"Greed, then, I guess? Or perhaps, the desire to succeed even more?" Ryu murmured. "I don't know. I just do it because it's what I'm supposed do."

Yamato smiled and ran his fingers through Ryu's hair. "You're right about that though. All of us have a part to play in our society, no matter how undesirable it may be. Just follow your heart, Ryu, I'm sure you'll do the right thing."

Ryu rubbed his thumb over Yamato's cheek gently. "Thank you, Yamato."


	8. Chapter 8

When they were getting ready for bed that night, Yamato suddenly sat down on the bed. "Ugh, I don't feel so good."

Ryu was on alert immediately. "Are you okay, Yamato? Tell me what's wrong. Are you hurting anywhere?"

Yamato waved him away. "I'm fine. Let's go to bed."

Ryu knelt down on the floor in front of Yamato. "Let me feel your forehead."

"I have some aspirin in my overnight bag, I think. Can you pass it to me?" Yamato murmured softly.

Ryu frowned and got up, but headed for the phone instead. "Manager Takeda, get a doctor here ASAP!" He barked. "NO, I DON'T CARE HOW LATE IT IS, GET ONE HERE RIGHT AWAY!"

"Ryu…"

At Yamato's weak prompting, Ryu ran to his side at once. "Yes, Yamato?"

"There's no need to fuss…" Yamato said, trying to stand up.

Ryu set him back down on the bed. "Lie down, Yamato. The doctor will be here soon. Let me go get you a glass of water."

"I'll go get it myself…"

"No." Ryu said sternly. "You're not allowed to get out of bed, Ogata Yamato." He kissed Yamato gently on the forehead. "Let me take care of you, please."

* * *

"Doctor, how is he?" Ryu paused his frantic pacing and peered over the doctor's shoulder anxiously.

Yamato rolled his eyes at Ryu's antics. The way the man was acting, you would think that he was dying. "I'm fine—" He opened his mouth to protest.

"Shhhhh." Ryu shushed him and pulled the blanket higher, if that was even possible. "Rest, Yamato."

"He's fine." The doctor said, and Yamato shot Ryu an 'I-told-you-so' look; but Ryu ignored him. "His blood pressure is a little low, although nowhere near dangerous. He might have slight anaemia as well; but with a bit of rest, he should be as good as new."

"Are you sure?" Ryu frowned at the doctor, shooting Manager Takeda a questioning look.

"I assure you, Odagiri-sama; Tanaka-sensei is one of the best physicians in New York City." Manager Takeda spoke up promptly.

Ryu nodded his head. "Alright then. Thank you, Tanaka-sensei, Manager Takeda. You're dismissed."

Yamato raised an eyebrow at Ryu's curt tone and rude mannerisms, but the two men seemed to think nothing about it. They simply gave a slight bow and left the suite.

Ryu climbed into bed and pulled Yamato to lie against his chest. "Go to sleep, Yamato. You need to rest."

Yamato wanted to huff and puff further at being treated like a helpless kitten, but his disobedient body secretly revelled in the soft lulling and fell asleep.

* * *

"Yamato, stay in bed." Ryu repeated when he caught Yamato trying to get up yet again the next day.

"I'm fine, Ryu." Yamato huffed exasperatedly. "I've been in bed for nearly 16 hours! And I'm bored out of my mind."

Ryu closed his laptop and climbed under the covers, despite it being three o' clock in the afternoon. "I'll accompany you."

"Mmm." Yamato grinned internally, using his leg to rub against Ryu in an attempt to distract him. However, Ryu remained stubbornly unaroused.

"That's not going to work, Yamato." Ryu eyed him with a critical look. "I'm not touching you until you're fully recovered."

"I _am_ recovered, Ryu." Yamato said in a strangled voice. "The doctor said that I'm fine."

"Nuh-uh. He said that you _might_ have anaemia and to not overexert yourself for the next few days." Ryu corrected him. "Therefore, it will be my responsibility to make sure that the doctor's orders are obeyed."

Yamato relented and allowed himself to be cuddled. "Fine. Are you sure you still want to keep me around in that case? I'm sure my manager will be happy to give you someone else as exchange." He asked half-heartedly.

"And allow you to get out of bed? Absolutely not!" Ryu said in a scandalised voice. Placing another kiss on Yamato's hand, he added, "I'm sure he doesn't have anyone else I want anyway."

Yamato laughed lightly. "You didn't know you want me until a couple of days ago as well. You should give the others a chance." He didn't really want that to happen, of course. Ryu made him feel special, and Yamato wanted to keep that feeling all to himself if possible.

_'Oh I wanted you from the moment I laid my eyes on you, Yamato.'_ Ryu thought, but he just smiled on the outside. "Tell me more about yourself."

"What's there more to say?" Yamato cracked his brain. "Uh, I have an older brother working in Silicon Valley."

Usually, that titbit of information would have drawn gasps of admiration, but Ryu gave no such reaction. He just smiled at Yamato. "I'm thankful you're not as boring as he is."

Yamato gave him a strange look. "You're not curious to why I turned out this way?"

Ryu stewed for a few moments. "You already told me when we first met. You chose this job because you felt that you were the perfect candidate for it. Because you can't fall in love."

Yamato could not believe that Ryu actually remembered all that, and had accepted it as well. "I'm impressed." He said with a small smile.

Ryu caressed Yamato's face gently. "Yamato… why can't you fall in love? Is this because of something that happened when you were in high school?"

Yamato's smile disappeared instantly. "How did you know that?" He asked in a hard voice.

Ryu pursed his lips. So his deduction was correct, then. "I can see it in your eyes."

"See what?" Yamato asked again. He was sure that he kept his emotions well-hidden for the past three years.

"The pain, the sadness, the loneliness, the longing." Ryu whispered. "Did you lose… someone?"

Yamato was silent for the longest time ever. At last, he opened his lips and admitted. "My best friend. And… the love of my life." The last part was barely audible, but the declaration of love could not have been louder to Ryu's ears.

Nevertheless, Ryu ignored his aching heart and held Yamato in a comforting embrace. "Do you mind telling me about him?"

"How do you know it's a 'him'?" Yamato was on his guard right away.

"Akadou is a boys' school, is it not?" Ryu commented.

"I didn't say he or she is from my school." Yamato said defensively.

Ryu gave him a tiny smile. "I know more about you than you let on, Yamato. I know that you dislike being held by the elbow, that you actually prefer beer over wine, that Yuyan is your way of detaching yourself from your job; and that the best friend you're talking about is your high school classmate."

"How?" Yamato asked in a weary voice. He didn't like people finding out more about him than what he let on.

Ryu smiled. "People say that your eyes are the window to your soul, Yamato. But I've never believed it, until the day our eyes met. Your eyes speak a million words that your mouth does not."

Yamato did not respond. He turned his back to Ryu and pulled the covers up to his neck. "His name is Ren." He said finally.

"That's a beautiful name." Ryu said softly. He did not miss Yamato's usage of 'is'; as opposed to 'was'. "What kind of person is he? Is he like you?"

Ryu could hear the sorrow in Yamato's voice as he spoke. "No, Ren is the exact opposite of me. He is perfect." A tinge of short-lived happiness entered his voice. "Ren is tall and handsome and charismatic and loved by everyone."

"OH!" Ryu's eyes widened in realisation. "Yuyan is modelled after him… isn't it?" He blurted out before he could censor himself.

Yamato sucked in a sharp breath. Was there anything about him that Ryu had not figured out? "Yes. Just the character part though; Ren wouldn't do half the things that Yuyan does."

Ryu reached out to touch Yamato's hand lightly. "What happened to Ren?"

Yamato could not help but bury himself into Ryu's welcoming embrace. It was too painful to talk about this without support. "We were in a fight with an ex-Akadou gangleader when a metal shelf fell on him." Yamato swallowed thickly in light of the memory. That particular scene still haunted him in his nightmares every now and then. The good thing about maintaining a separate personality was that Yuyan had no memories of Ren; that was why none of his clients ever found out about his nightmares. "He died right in front of our eyes."

Ryu pressed Yamato's head against his shoulder tightly. "I'm so sorry, Yamato." He whispered sincerely. "Did you ever tell him you love him?"

Tears filled Yamato's eyes. "I don't know if he heard me." He took a deep breath. "I whispered it in his ear just before he died. I thought it would give him the will to live, but…" The sound died in his throat.

"Even so, he lived a fulfilling life; if he has someone who loves him that much." Ryu told him. "I'm envious of him."

Yamato managed a small smile through his tears. "You don't need to say that just to make me feel better, Ryu."

Ryu was silent for a moment, debating if this was the right time to reveal his feelings. "I'm not. Yamato, I would give the world to be loved like that."

"You will, Ryu. You just have to find the right person."

Ryu sniffed in the scent of Yamato's messy hair. "Maybe." He said noncommittally. _'I've already found him five days ago, Yamato.'_ But he kept his thoughts to himself.

"I think whomever you find will be a very fortunate person as well, Ryu." Yamato said as he focused on controlling his breathing. "I can tell that you will be a very loving partner."

"Do you really think so?" Ryu asked in a low voice.

"I know so." Yamato assured him.

Ryu smiled at him softly. "I'll hold you to that. Now just lie back and rest for a few more hours."

Yamato did as asked, but found that there was no way he could sleep another wink; so he gave up trying and turned to face Ryu. "Don't you need to work?"

"I am working." Ryu set down the smartphone he was looking at. "But you're more important."

"I'm just a prostitute, Ryu."

"Shhhh." Ryu tilted Yamato's chin upwards. "Yamato, I don't give a damn whether you're a prostitute or an astronaut; but you have got to stop putting yourself down like that. In fact, I forbid it." His lips hovered dangerously close to Yamato's lips. "Or I'll kiss you."

"Do you know why?" Yamato murmured. "I don't kiss my clients?"

Ryu gave the question some thought. "It must mean something to you. Kissing." He guessed.

Yamato nodded slightly. "Ren kissed me. The day before he…" His voice caught, unable to finish the sentence. "He didn't say anything though. He disappeared before I even realised what had happened."

"Oh, Yamato." Ryu nuzzled Yamato's neck softly. "I'm so sorry, for what you've been through. I won't let anything like that happen to you again, I promise."

Yamato did not pull himself away, even when Ryu kissed him on the corner of his lips. "Ryu…"

A loud shrill interrupted their haze, drawing an internal groan from both men at the loss of the moment.

"WHAT?" Ryu answered his phone in irritation. "Oh, it's you, Hayato. What?! Ugh, why don't you just go without me?" A brief silence ensued. "Fine, Hayato, FINE." He slammed the phone shut and threw it across the carpeted floor.

"Calm down, Ryu. What's wrong?" Yamato asked concernedly.

"I'm so sorry, Yamato, but I've got to go out tonight. I'll be back soon, I promise—"

"I'm fine, Ryu." Yamato interrupted his rambling. "Go do what you have to."

"Should I get Manager Takeda to look after you?"

"NO!" Yamato shouted as fast as he could. "I'm healthy already. I can even go with you tonight if you want me to."

"Uhh…" Ryu looked downright guilty upon hearing the offer.

"What is it?"

"I'm entertaining Wakamatsu-san from the other night…" Ryu confessed. "And we're going to a strip club."

"Oh." Yamato looked at him amusedly. "You don't want him to find out that I'm not really your associate?"

"I'm sorry, Yamato…"

"It's alright, Ryu. Which club are you going to?"

"The Diamond Lounge."

Yamato hid a smile. "You're right, I can't show my face there."

"Is it where you work?"

Yamato nodded. "Every Thursday night, in fact."

"You don't have to go tonight?" It was a Thursday today.

"I'm booked for the rest of the week, last I checked."

"Good. I don't want you out of bed before tomorrow morning anyway."

"Behave yourself, Ryu." Yamato warned him half-jokingly as he watched Ryu getting dressed. He was worried that the vultures in the club would swarm down on his man. All of them could smell a rich client from a mile away.

Ryu tucked Yamato into bed and kissed him on the forehead. "I will."


	9. Chapter 9

"YUYAN!" There was a huge shriek in the backstage of The Diamond Lounge later that night. "What are you doing here?!" All of his colleagues crowded around him.

"I do have a weekly slot on stage, don't I?"

"Well, yes, but Sawatari said that you're having time-off this week…" The club manager, Hyuuga, trailed off uncertainly.

"Screw Sawatari. I wanna get up on that stage. But I won't be doing personal dances tonight, and I won't be showing my face during the show."

"That's fine, of course…" Hyuuga nodded hurriedly. 'Yuyan' was the main attraction of his club. Ever since 'Thursday Nights with Yuyan' was launched six months ago, his profits on Thursday nights had practically soared through the roof. Yuyan was the only performer in the club who could name all the conditions he wanted and get away with it.

* * *

"Odagiri-sama, would you like a dance?" A fair-skinned boy rubbed himself against Ryu's arm.

"Maybe later." Ryu smiled at him. "In the meanwhile, perhaps Wakamatsu-san might like one?" He asked his companion courteously.

"Just a minute." Wakamatsu was busy craning his head sideways to scan the crowd. "Where's Yuyan?"

Ryu almost choked on his whiskey. "He can't make it tonight…"

Wakamatsu looked at him strangely. "Do you know Yuyan, Odagiri-san?"

Ryu belatedly realised his slip. Wakamatsu was referring to Yuyan, not Yamato. It didn't mean that he knew about Yamato's job. "Oh, I mean, I think I heard someone said something about him not coming tonight…" He said weakly. "How do you know about him anyway, Wakamatsu-san? Have you met him?" Ryu was mentally preparing a vehement denial about how his 'associate' only _looks_ like Yuyan.

"I haven't met him." Wakamatsu said, causing Ryu to breathe a breath of relief. "But I heard that he's the best in town."

The fair-skinned boy pouted visibly upon hearing Wakamatsu's words. "I can dance just as well as Yuyan can, Wakamatsu-sama. Why don't you give me a try?"

"Oh, okay then. What's your name, pretty?" Wakamatsu relented. "Are you sure you're legal?"

"My name is Tama-chan, Wakamatsu-sama. And I'm 22, so don't worry."

* * *

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE MOMENT YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR – OUR STAR OF THE NIGHT, YUYAN!"

Ryu felt himself freeze in shock as he watched a familiar silhouette strut onstage. When the spotlights shined on the figure, it revealed a young man dressed in a soaking wet white shirt and a pair of skinny jeans; wearing a fedora hat low down so that it covered most of his face. However, Ryu recognised every inch of the body that he had been touching and kissing for the past 5 days. It was, without a doubt, Ogata Yamato.

"WOOOHOOOOO!" Wakamatsu was yelling in delight. "He came, he came!" He nudged Ryu's elbow excitedly.

Ryu managed a strained smile. "Uh, yeah. I saw."

All eyes in the strip club – including those belonging to its staff – were on Yuyan as he swayed his hips from side to side. Keeping his head low, Yuyan stuck two fingers into his mouth and began sucking earnestly; drawing a wave of lusty catcalls from the audience. Ryu couldn't decide if he would rather dig all their eyes out on the spot, or just lock Yamato up in an isolated tower for the rest of his life.

Ryu watched with bated breath as Yamato (or Yuyan) toyed with the buttons on his shirt with a coy smile, before bringing his hand up to his mouth to blow a kiss _exactly_ in Ryu's direction. Then, he traced his fingers across the contours of his hips and the curve of his ass. Ryu had seen a lot of strip shows tonight, but only _this_ stripper made him want to devour him on the spot.

As the music and Yamato's dance moves increased in pace, the dollar bills began raining down on the stage. Everyone wanted to see more skin, and was eager to fork out as much as they needed to. Wakamatsu had moved up to camp by the stage, leaving Ryu alone at their table with the fair-skinned boy from just now.

The boy tried to shift Ryu's attention from Yamato to himself. "Odagiri-_saamaa._" He purred persistently. "Do you want to bring me home tonight? I can tend to you _all night_ for just a hundred dollars."

Ryu kept his eyes glued to Yamato's swaying body and ignored the stripper.

"Alright, for you, just 80 dollars. What do you say, _Odagiri-saamaa_?"

Ryu did not respond until the song ended and Yamato – now stark naked and clutching a thick wad of cash – left the stage. Once the show ended, Ryu got up and dragged the fair-skinned stripper to a secluded corner.

"Yes, Odagiri-sama? Do you want a private dance now?" The boy smiled at Ryu.

"No." Ryu said curtly. "I want you to bring me to…" He gritted his teeth. "Yuyan."

The boy's smile disappeared in an instant. "Yuyan is not doing any private dances tonight."

"I don't want a dance, I just want to talk to him."

"I'm sorry, Odagiri-sama, but Yuyan's condition for performing tonight is that he will not be meeting any clients."

Ryu brooded for a while. "Show me to a private room, and then tell Yuyan that I'm waiting for him. Can you do that?" He pressed a $100 dollar bill into the stripper's hand.

The boy's eyes widened. The offer was too generous to refuse. "Fine, wait here. But I can't guarantee that he'll see you." He huffed and headed backstage.

* * *

"YAMATO, WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING?" Ryu bellowed once Yamato slinked into the room.

"My job." Yamato answered obstinately. To be honest, he was a little disappointed at Ryu's reaction. Why was Ryu being so angry about him doing a strip show? It was his job, for fucks sake! Not to mention that he was expecting to be jumped on the spot when he came in, not to be scolded!

"Couldn't you have chosen a different outfit? What were doing in all those wet clothes?! Your body is already weak, what if you catch a cold—"

"Wait." Yamato interrupted. "So… is this what you're pissed about? Not about me doing a strip show?"

Ryu frowned at him. "Of course. Why would I be pissed about you doing your job? I mean, aside from the fact that you're supposed to be in bed…"

"So did you like the show?" That was the main thing Yamato was interested in.

"That's not the point, Yamato." Ryu looked at him sternly, but pulled him into a tight embrace. "What would I do if you fall sick again?"

"I'm fine, I swear." Yamato felt a lot happier now, secretly revelling in Ryu's overprotectiveness over him. "Manager Takeda even summoned the doctor to discharge me."

"Oh, alright then." Ryu took one step back and examined Yamato carefully. "Did you wipe yourself dry after the show?"

"How about you help me check that, Ryu?" Yamato whispered seductively, dragging Ryu to one of the couches in the room. "Reita told me that you haven't gotten a private lap dance all night. Now that's just plain insulting to our club's reputation." Yamato chuckled a little. "Not to mention the huge blow to his overinflated ego."

"Reita? That _partner_ of yours?" The disdain in Ryu's voice could not have been more obvious. "He's here?"

For some reason, Yamato was extraordinarily happy to hear the annoyance in Ryu's voice. "He's the slut who has been throwing himself at you non-stop for the entire night."

"I don't know any Reita… Oh wait, does he use a stage name as well?" Ryu realised. "Is he that fair-skinned boy?"

"His stage name is Tama-chan. He's as cute as his name, isn't he?" Yamato said, trying to gauge Ryu's response.

There was a flash of envy on Ryu's face, before being expertly hidden a moment later. "If you say so."

"Or…" Yamato ventured. "Do you think _I'm_ cuter?"

"You, my Yamato, are the cutest, sexiest, handsomest creature that I've ever met." Ryu kissed Yamato on the cheek. "Your attractiveness is unrivalled by anyone in this universe."

Yamato grinned at him. "Flattery will get you _everywhere_, Ryu." Yamato started to climb onto Ryu's lap, but Ryu stopped him. "I don't think this is a good idea. At least not here."

"Why?" Yamato asked, trying to keep the hurt out of his voice.

"I'm not confident that I'll be able to stop myself when I see you naked on my lap. Hell, I'm already having a bloody _hard_ time with you fully dressed, if you know what I mean."

Yamato broke into a mischievous grin. "Then fuck me right here, Ryu." He whispered.

"I don't want you to overexert yourself, Yamato." Ryu explained patiently. "I know you're fully recovered, but you should keep your strength as well. You've already gone onstage today, so you must be tired."

"Ryu, I usually go onstage _and then _work the rest of the night. I can handle this."

"Maybe tomorrow, Yamato."

"Ugh!" Yamato threw his hands up in exasperation. "Ryu, what if I told you that I want you just as bad as you want me?"

"Do you?" Ryu asked quietly.

"Yes, dammit, Ryu, you can't just give me passionate, mind-blowing sex one day and force me to go celibate the next!" Yamato voiced out his frustration. His body had been craving Ryu's touch during the entire time he was in bed. During their last session, Ryu had worshipped every inch of his body like he was a god, and Yamato found that he loved it a lot more than he should.

Ryu picked Yamato up and swung him over his shoulders in an instant. "Home. Now."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Yeah, I changed the name of the story from 'Pretty Man' to 'Knock Knock', because I've never liked 'Pretty Man in the first place; and I've finally come up with a title that I'm satisfied with. As to why 'Knock Knock', you will know as you progress through the story!**

**In short, every 'knock knock' (as the first chapter started) will signify a drastic event about to take place. **

* * *

The suite door had barely managed to shut behind them when both of them started to tear the clothes off each other. "Oh god, Yamato, I miss you so much."

"It's your bloody fault for being a paranoid fuck." Yamato growled at him. "Now, fuck me, dammit."

Ryu loved the curses and foul words streaming from Yamato's mouth. This was Yamato being Yamato, not Yuyan. "Yamato, do you want to… do me, instead?" He asked softly.

Yamato's hand froze halfway down Ryu's slacks. "What do you mean?"

"Uh…" Ryu bit his lip nervously. "You said you want me, so… do you want to… err… fuck me?"

Yamato groaned in unrestrained lust. "Ryu, you don't know what you're offering. You can't just wave an offer like that and take it back later, you know."

"I won't."

"I should bottom." Yamato said reluctantly. "I'm too horny to prepare you properly. Especially since it'll be your first time…"

"I can take it." Ryu's resolution was strengthened by the desire he could see in Yamato's eyes. "Take care of me, Yamato." He sunk onto the bed, pulling Yamato on top of him.

"Oh fuck." Yamato cursed. It was the first time someone had willingly and voluntarily offered themselves to him. He have had female clients, as well as male clients that demanded to bottom; but he have never had a natural dominant that offered to submit. "I'll try my best. Tell me if you can't take it." He said, although he wasn't sure if he would be able to stop once he got started.

Reaching for the lube on the bedside, Yamato squeezed a generous amount onto his palm and began to massage Ryu's opening gently. "It's going to be a little cold." He warned.

Ryu nodded nervously. He wasn't sure if he would like it, but he really wanted Yamato to enjoy himself.

Yamato pursed his lips. It was obvious that Ryu was feeling quite apprehensive about being penetrated. He didn't want to hurt Ryu; but god, he had not topped in such a long time! His cock throbbed longingly at the thought of entering Ryu's virginal ass. "You're so beautiful, Ryu…" He murmured, slowing inching a lubed finger into Ryu's opening.

Ryu tensed a little at the intrusion, but tried his best to relax into it. He closed his eyes and began to recall the way Yamato had looked when he was doing the strip show.

Yamato felt relieved to see that Ryu was hardening even further, despite the discomfort he was experiencing. However, a pang of jealousy erupted in his heart at the object of Ryu's fantasy. "What are you thinking about, Ryu?"

Ryu opened his eyes and ran a finger against Yamato's bare skin. "You. On stage."

Yamato shuddered in arousal and contentment at the answer. "I still owe you a private show, Ryu." He murmured as he inserted another finger into Ryu. "What's your fetish? I can dress-up as anything you want."

"I want to see whatever Yamato wears – Ogata Yamato – not Yuyan or a policeman or a French maid."

"There's nothing attractive about Yamato, Ryu." Yamato whispered softly. "Everything you've seen so far is Yuyan."

"Not true. I know Yamato. He is quiet and sullen and quick-tempered and carries some emotional baggage, but he's also forgiving and matured and extremely protective of his friends." Ryu said, slowly getting used to the feeling of being stretched by Yamato's fingers.

Yamato kept silent as he prepared Ryu diligently for his first anal sex experience. Ryu really did understand him to a fault; even the things he did not say, or the things he thought he kept well-hidden. Suddenly, Ryu's pending departure in three days' time hit him like a train.

"What's wrong, Yamato?" Ryu could sense the turbulence in Yamato's mood immediately.

Yamato swallowed the lump in his throat and shook his head. It would not do for him to pine over a client. Ryu was just being kind, after all. Plus, he couldn't love anyone else besides Ren, right? "I'm fine. Are you still doing okay?"

Ryu pulled Yamato to rest in his chest. "I'm doing okay, but you're not." He caressed Yamato's hair gently. "Do you want to talk about it?" When Yamato shook his head, Ryu nodded in understanding and did not push further. Instead, he focused on getting Yamato's mind back in the mood. He pressed Yamato's hips against his own and began to grind against him.

Yamato moaned at the feeling of their cocks rubbing against each other, the troubles in his mind disappearing instantly as Ryu hoped. "I want you so bad, Ryu." He begged.

"I'm all yours, Yamato." Ryu raised his hips in invitation.

At the sight, Yamato hissed in desire and lined his cock at Ryu's entrance. "I'm going in."

Ryu winced at the stretching of his asshole, but he bore down and tried to take as much of Yamato's length as he could.

"Slow down, Ryu." Yamato breathed through his arousal. It was taking every single bit of self-control not to pound into Ryu's tight channel, but Yamato was determined not to hurt Ryu. "Relax and just try to get used to it."

"I'm fine. You can move." Ryu put on a brave face.

"I can see the pain in your eyes, Ryu." Yamato frowned at him. "If you want me to be honest with you, then you have got to be honest with me."

Ryu nodded sheepishly. "Give me a moment."

"Take all the time you want." Yamato lowered his lips towards Ryu. To his surprise, Ryu pursed his lips inwards to stop Yamato from kissing him.

"Why?" That was all Ryu asked, but Yamato understood the question nonetheless.

"You've given me all your firsts, it's only fair that I return the gesture; and this is all I have left." Yamato mumbled.

"I gave you both my firsts because I wanted to, Yamato. I would love to receive your first kiss, but only when you want to, not when you feel obligated to return a favour." Ryu said quietly.

Yamato nodded in guilt and appreciation, before changing his course for Ryu's nipples instead. He took one nipple in between his fingers and the other in his mouth.

"Oh!" Ryu exclaimed in pleasure at the stimulation. "Oh god, yes, yes, oh my god, more."

Yamato hummed in acknowledgement and continued his ministrations; at the same time inching further into Ryu's ass.

"Deeper, I can take it now." Ryu panted.

Yamato double checked to make sure that Ryu was really fine, and slowly pushed himself all the way in. "FUCK, RYU."

Ryu was more than pleased to hear the lust in Yamato's voice. "That's what you're doing, I believe." He teased cheekily.

Yamato narrowed his eyes at Ryu, before swooping down and attacked his nipples with full force.

"YAMATO!" Ryu gasped aloud. "Oh fuck, yes, move, dammit, Yamato!"

Yamato gave a guttural growl and began to thrust into Ryu. "Fuck you."

"Yes, fuck me." Ryu echoed in agreement, and then gave a violent lurch when Yamato hit a special spot. "OH!"

"I found it." Yamato exhaled in relief. "Does it feel good, Ryu?"

"MORE. Please." Ryu was beyond words. He needed more of that incredible stimulation.

Yamato acquiesced and pounded against Ryu's prostate with full force. "YAMATO!" Ryu shouted at the magnitude of the force that Yamato was ramming into him. "AAHHHHH!"

"Fuck, Ryu, I'm gonna cum." Yamato hissed. "Oh god…"

"Cum in me, Yamato." Ryu locked his legs around Yamato's waist to prevent him from pulling out. "Fuck me until you cum."

"Are you sure, Ryu? I can pull out—"

Ryu responded by clenching his sphincter muscles as hard as he could.

"OH FUCK, RYU, SO… OH FUCK, YES, OH MY— AH, RYU, RYU, OH, RYU!" Yamato came with a giant shudder, burying himself deep inside Ryu's tight channel.

A few seconds later, Yamato's exhausted body slumped on top of Ryu. "That was fucking amazing." He mumbled. "Just let me catch my breath, I'll help you cum in a bit."

"Go to sleep, Yamato. I can take care of the rest myself." Ryu coaxed him softly.

"No, I can go a second time." Yamato breathed. "Just… one minute."

Ryu opened his mouth to protest, but Yamato's offer was too tempting to resist. He, too, had not gotten off the whole time Yamato was confined to bed-rest. "Okay, but go to sleep if you're tired. I promise to think of your glorious body whenever I jerk-off, Yamato, so that should soothe that professional ego of yours…"

"I can go again, but can you do the work instead?" Yamato shifted onto his back. "My leg muscles are still recovering."

"Are you sure you're good to go?"

"Yes, now give me that cock, Ryu."

Ryu hesitantly reached for the lube. He had never done this before. Before this, it was always Yamato who had prepared himself.

"I'm used to it, so just two fingers is enough for me." Yamato explained. "You don't even have to use the lube if you don't want to."

Ryu shook his head and squeezed some lube onto his fingers. Slowly, he replicated what Yamato had done in the past and inserted a finger into Yamato's ass.

"Good. Curve the tip of your fingers upwards when you get further in… yes, that's it."

"Where's the… special spot?"

"My prostate? Umm, graze the lower wall with your fingertips, it's somewhere there, about halfway— OH FUCK, YES, THERE." Yamato's flaccid cock was beginning to twitch in interest.

"Are you ready?" At Yamato's nod, Ryu positioned himself and pushed in. "OH GOD." Ryu moaned in contentment at the familiar heat of Yamato's ass. It felt like his cock had come home at last.

Ryu thrust into Yamato steadily, relishing in the wonderful friction on his cock. Then, he aimed for the special spot that he had mentally memorised earlier.

"Yesssss." Yamato breathed, bringing his fingers up to tweak at his own nipples.

Ryu, too, reached down to fondle Yamato's balls with his free hand.

"Ryu…" Yamato arched into the touch. "More…"

Instead of complying, Ryu pulled Yamato's hands away from his body and pinned them to the bed. Then, he lowered his head to nibble at Yamato's neglected nipples.

Yamato moaned in approval. He had not been pleasured so thoroughly in a long time. "Bite me, Ryu." He begged.

Ryu licked the swollen nub one last time, and then bit down gently as asked. Yamato's body arched in pleasure. "Harder."

And so Ryu did as asked, biting Yamato on his nipples and occasionally his neck. "These are going to show tomorrow." Ryu's eyes glinted with self-satisfaction.

"Mmm." Yamato was beyond the point of caring. He loved the attention that was bestowed upon him, and the ability to make demands for himself to be pleasured the way he liked it.

Ryu kissed Yamato again on the corner of his lips and snuck a hand down to his cock. "Cum with me."

Yamato nodded and pulled Ryu downwards so that he could bury his face in his neck. "Ahhh…" He moaned at the feeling of Ryu's hand jerking him off. "Yes, I'm close…"

"Cum for me, Yamato." Ryu whispered in his ear. "You look so beautiful when you cum. And this time, I want to lick every single drop of that delicious cum of yours…"

"Ryu, stop it… You're embarrassing me… Oh god oh god oh god, Ryu!" Yamato came for the second time that evening, spilling his seed all over Ryu's hands.

Ryu, too, felt his body lose control the moment Yamato's tight channel contracted around him. "Yamato…" He grunted as pure bliss surged through his entire being.

Both of them held each other, unmoving, in their afterglow; until exhaustion set in and they fell asleep.

* * *

**A/N: To be honest, the lack of interest from readers is kinda putting me off this story, not to mention that we're only about one-third into the plot... Anyways, please give me some feedback, even if to say that it's totally boring... so that I know not to repeat my mistakes.  
**


	11. Chapter 11

"No, no, no, NO! REN!" A loud scream pierced through the night.

Ryu was jolted awake by the violent thrashing underneath him. Finding their bodies and limbs still tangled, Ryu could not remove himself.

"Yamato, Yamato…" He tried softly. "Shhh, you're okay… Shhh…"

However, the screaming and sobbing did not stop. "Ren, I've got to get to Ren! REN! REN! PLEASE! RENNNNN!"

Ryu felt tears filling his eyes as he watched Yamato struggle with his nightmares. He could hear the pain and agony in Yamato's voice. Finally, he had no choice but to shake Yamato awake.

"YAMATO! WAKE UP!"

"Ren!" That was the first thing that Yamato said when he opened his eyes. "Where's Ren?" He asked Ryu in panic.

Ryu froze. "He's…" He remembered something that his grandmother used to tell him when he was younger. "He's with the people who loves him very much." He said softly.

"Who?" Yamato seemed to have not totally regained his senses yet.

"His family members…" Ryu did not know anything about Ren's family, so he made a blind guess. "Like his grandfather and grandmother and…" He trailed off uncertainly, hoping that he wasn't jinxing anyone who was still alive and well.

"And his dad and mum…" Yamato finished, finally starting to gain a semblance of consciousness. Needless to say, he was horrified when he realised what had just happened. None of his clients have ever witness his nightmare. "I'm sorry!" He rushed to get off the bed.

Fortunately, Ryu was able to stop him from leaving due to the messy tangle that they were in. "Shhh. You're alright. Calm down, Yamato."

"No, you don't understand!" Yamato said hoarsely. "Let me go!"

"Then make me understand." Ryu loosened himself from Yamato, but kept his arms tightly wrapped around Yamato's shoulders. "Tell me how you feel."

"You don't understand. It was my fault that he died!" Yamato sobbed uncontrollably. "He was trying to save me when he was struck! If he hadn't tried to save me, if I have fought better, if I didn't exist at all… he would have lived!"

Ryu pressed Yamato's head against his chest. Now it all made sense – why Yamato could not let Ren go. To Yamato, Ren wasn't just an unrequited love or a best friend; he was also a constant reminder of his failures and his weaknesses. Because of Ren's death, Yamato simply could not overcome his inner demons. They were always there, taunting and blaming him for losing the person he loved the most.

"It's not your fault, Yamato." Ryu caressed Yamato's hair soothingly. "He chose to save you because he loved you too. He loved you, Yamato. He loved you enough to give his life for you."

Yamato's body stiffened in Ryu's arms. "Ren… loved me?"

It was the first time that Yamato was referring to Ren in past tense. Perhaps, Ryu thought, this is the beginning of Yamato's path to recovery. "Yes, would you not do the same thing for him? He loved you just as much as you love him, Yamato. That is why between you and him, he chose to let you live."

"Why?!" A fresh wave of sobs wrecked through Yamato. "Why did he had to do that? Why did he had to die? Why did he had to leave me alone? Oh, Kazama Ren, you stupid bastard… WHY?!" He wept into Ryu's shoulder.

Ryu said nothing as he held Yamato close to him. Hopefully, this would be the last time that Yamato grief for his best friend and lost love.

After a long hour or so, Yamato's sobs subsided into a weak whimper. "I miss him… I miss him so much, Ryu. It hurts so bad."

"I know, Yamato, I know…" Ryu said softly. "But I'm here now. I can't replace Ren, but I'll try my best to make you happy. Let me in, Yamato, and I'll do everything I can to lessen that pain."

"How?"

"You let me worry about that, Yamato. Now you just go back to sleep, we have a long day ahead of us."

* * *

Yamato woke up the next morning to find the bed empty beside him. He felt a mixture of relief and irritation at the same time. Relieved, because he didn't have to talk about the events that had transpired last night; but slightly irritated, because he had gotten used to waking up in Ryu's arms.

A card on the bedside table caught his eye. _"Good morning Yamato." _It said in Ryu's neat handwriting. _"I'm (attempting) to make you breakfast, so just sit back and wait for me!"_

Yamato could not help but smile at the sweet gesture, all traces of worry and irritation disappearing into thin air. Setting the card back down, he got up and headed to the bathroom.

* * *

**_ 'Knock knock.'_**

Yamato opened the door to find Ryu dressed in a full chef's uniform, complete with the tall white hat and navy striped apron. "Room service." Ryu grinned at him.

"Good morning Ryu." Yamato greeted him enthusiastically. "I'm starving, so it better be good!"

"I hope so too." Ryu wheeled the breakfast cart into the suite, laden with plates of every shape and size. "There's rice with pickles and miso soup, as well as bacon and eggs and mushrooms, and also pancakes with butter and maple syrup, and—"

"Wait, wait." Yamato was holding his stomach in laughter. "That's too much, Ryu! What do you think I am, a pig?"

"Not a pig, just a very pampered prince." Ryu reached over to kiss Yamato on the cheek. "Good morning love."

"Love?" Yamato echoed questioningly.

Ryu picked up both of Yamato's hands. "Yamato, I meant what I said last night. Let me in, please. I want to make you happy."

Yamato stewed in silence. "Why?"

"I've fallen in love with you ever since the first time I laid my eyes on you, Yamato. I won't pressure you into anything; all I ask for is for you to let me love you."

"I can't love anyone else, Ryu." Yamato kept his eyes downcast. It was his worst nightmare coming to past. _Or perhaps, _his heart whispered, _it used to be your worst nightmare, but it's not like that anymore, isn't it?_

"You don't have to love me." Ryu declared. "Just let me love you."

"What's the use, even if I open up my heart? You're leaving in 3 days' time." Yamato whispered.

"It only takes a second to fall in love, Yamato. I think 3 days is plenty of time." Not to mention that Ryu was hoping that Yamato would change his mind at the end of the 3 days.

"How… What am I supposed to do?"

Ryu smiled and kissed Yamato's hand. "Sit back, be pampered, and treat me like a suitor rather than a client."

"I'm sorry in advance if this doesn't work out, Ryu."

"Save your apologies for someone who wants them, love. Now let's have some breakfast."

* * *

"So, what's your ideal first date?" Ryu pulled Yamato into his lap once they were done with breakfast. "Cinema, amusement park, restaurant, garden, boat ride?"

Yamato hesitated for a split second, before wrapping his arms around Ryu's neck. "What about a casino?"

"Spoken like a true delinquent." Ryu nodded in approval. "Let's go."

"Don't you need to work today? You're supposed to meet Kuroda-san this evening, aren't you?"

"Bah. Work can wait, and Hayato can deal with whatever that comes up. You, on the other hand, are my top priority."

"Alright." Yamato conceded. "What's your best card game?"

"You name it. Poker, blackjack, baccarat, casino wars – I'm a casino whiz." Ryu boasted playfully.

"Hmph. Don't get too cocky! Former head delinquent here, remember?"

"Of course; but I'm no sidekick either, my love."

* * *

"I still think that you cheated at poker."

"I didn't, Yamato, you're just very easy to read. Besides, you won at everything else."

"Still, I would have liked a clean sweep."

"Alright, we'll have a rematch sometime. What would you like for dinner?"

"It's barely 5! And we just had lunch!" Yamato exclaimed.

"We have somewhere to be at 7, so we must eat now." Ryu opened the wardrobe and retrieved their dinner outfits.

"Where are we going?" Yamato asked, eyeing the formal suits in Ryu's hand.

"Somewhere fun. Get dressed, love. Preferably out of my sight so as to not tempt me."

Yamato grabbed the suit, but did not move away as requested. Instead, he made eye contact with Ryu and began to peel off his t-shirt and jeans in a sensual manner.

Ryu's eyes followed the contours of Yamato's body ravenously. "Don't blame me if you get hungry later."

"Mmm?" Yamato asked in an innocent voice. "I thought we're going for dinner _now_?" He flung his t-shirt aside and reached for the formal shirt; purposely grazing against Ryu's body as he did so.

"Fuck, Yamato." Ryu swore. "Stop ruining my plans to romance you." He trailed a finger across Yamato's bare chest.

"What, you mean this isn't part of your _plans_?"

"Well, yes, maybe at the end of the night; but I'm supposed to seduce you, not the other way round!"

"Oh. Alright then." Yamato turned his back to Ryu and started to put his shirt on.

"Where do you think you're going?" Ryu's hands circled Yamato's waist from behind.

"Dinner…?" Yamato asked with wide-eyed innocence.

"You must think that I'm a saint if you expect me to let you go after that little stunt." Ryu grinded his erection against Yamato's ass crack.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Yamato said, even though his ass was rubbing back at Ryu just as eagerly.

"You best keep your clothes on when you're with me, if you know what's good for you." Ryu growled in a low tone.

"Oops." Yamato dropped his shirt onto the ground. "Sorry, my hands slipped for a moment there. You were saying?"

"That's it." Ryu lifted Yamato into the air and dumped him on the bed. "You crossed the line back there, now be ready to face the consequences."

"What consequences?"

"This consequences." Ryu pinned Yamato down with his body. "You're not leaving until I'm finished with you."

"Hmm. Am I on your dinner menu now instead?" Yamato grinned impishly.

"Indeed. And you better be prepared. I always have a full-course meal. Entrée, mains and dessert."

"I like the sound of that. What's for entrée?"


	12. Chapter 12

"Yamato, love, we gotta get moving."

"Ugh. I'm tired, Ryu. Can't we just go to bed?"

Ryu lifted Yamato's head to rest on his lap. "You can, if you really don't feel up to it."

"No, no. I'm up. I was just kidding." Yamato sat up and stretched.

"Mmmm. I would happily have you for dinner every night for the rest of my life." Ryu murmured into Yamato's hair as he helped him into his dress shirt.

"Yeah, but I won't be able to walk afterwards." Yamato grumbled.

"That's easy. I'll just carry you everywhere." Ryu pretended to lift Yamato over his shoulders.

"In a million years." Yamato kicked Ryu playfully, but just strong enough to remind Ryu that he could easily overpower him in a physical fight.

Ryu grinned to himself. Gods, how he loved Yamato's delinquent streak! He reminded Ryu of Hayato before their friendship had fallen apart. Hayato – Ryu sighed at the memories that surfaced. They used to be so close. Hayato was not just his best friend. He was his brother, his confidante, his conscience, and everything else in between. But it all changed when they entered high school. No one knew why, but Hayato became extremely temperamental and inherently unpredictable. He would be unnaturally possessive of Ryu one day, but then totally hostile the next. Ryu had put up with it the best he could at the start, assuming that it was 'just a phase' and that it would fade with time; only that it didn't. If anything, Hayato's condition only became worse as they got older. Still, out of sentimentality for the old Hayato – the Hayato who would push him off the swings on the playground just for a laugh and purposely spill water on his clothes just to get him into trouble – he had offered Hayato a job in his company, and continued to look out for him throughout the years.

Ryu didn't know which was worse – Yamato, who lost his best friend to Death; or him, who still had his best friend beside him in person, but had lost him emotionally ages ago.

Standing up, Ryu put his thoughts aside. He had a date to impress.

* * *

"Oh my god, Ryu!" Yamato gasped in delight. "How did you know I've always wanted to come to one?"

Ryu rested a hand on Yamato's shoulder. "I didn't. But I thought that any delinquent would love watching a good fight."

Yamato hid a smile. Only a fellow delinquent would think of bringing his date to a real, no-holds-bared, blood-thirsty fighting match. "Have you been in one?"

Ryu shook his head. "I stopped fighting after high school."

"But you still watch." Yamato teased.

Ryu's lips curved upwards. "I guess the blood-thirst still exists, just buried somewhere really deep down."

A few rounds of adrenaline-filled cheering later, Yamato turned to nudge Ryu. "Wanna have a go?"

Ryu stared at Yamato in disbelief. "You're kidding!"

"Come on, it'll be fun!" Yamato dragged Ryu into one of the side-rings. "Can we have a go?" He asked the surprised referee standing there. The man eyed their expensive-looking shirts and trousers sceptically, before shrugging and stood aside to allow them entry. "30 minutes or until the first man falls."

Yamato pushed his sleeves up to his elbows. "Think you can last 30 minutes, Odagiri?"

Ryu had to smile at the sight of Yamato's enthusiasm. "Prepare to surrender, Ogata." He answered mockingly.

Yamato stepped forward and threw a light punch, testing Ryu's reflexes. To his delight, Ryu blocked his fist just in time and launched a half-hearted swipe at his head, which he dodged easily. To and fro they began to gauge each other's skills, throwing a stronger punch here and a faster kick there. It became obvious to them that Yamato was more of an aggressor and Ryu was more of a defender. The revelation caught both of them by surprise; since Ryu was obviously the more dominant partner in bed, whereas Yamato willingly took on the submissive role.

Now warmed up and ready to get on with the real deal, Yamato swung a strong punch at Ryu's cheek. Ryu dodged the hit and returned with a punch of his own, aimed at Yamato's gut. Yamato saw it coming from miles away and blocked Ryu's arm from connecting with its target.

Both men were so focused on the friendly fight they were having that they did not realise the crowd slowly taking notice of them and beginning to cheer them on. Indeed, they were a sight to behold – two slim, well-groomed and unsuspecting-looking men with skills as formidable as those with years of experience on the streets. One after another, their attacks flew at each other at top speed; yet neither of them were taking a beating. Punches were blocked, kicks were skipped, cuffs were ducked, and elbows were dodged. Both of them were dancing to a highly dangerous yet strangely mesmerising choreography.

As such, it felt like time had barely passed when the whistle blew, signalling the end of their round. Ryu and Yamato were surprised when the crowd sighed in disappointment in accordance with them.

Ryu smiled and bowed his head shyly at the watching crowd before walking towards Yamato. "Satisfied?" He asked.

"Satisfied? More like absolutely sated! This is even better than sex!" Yamato panted in exhaustion and exhilaration at the same time. He could feel the blood rushing just underneath his skin, making him feel absolutely alive again for the first time in years. He had not fought like that in 3 years; and it had been an even longer time since he last met someone as evenly-matched to him as Ryu.

Chuckling, Ryu led Yamato out of the ring to put on their shoes. "You're good."

"You're not too bad yourself." Yamato complimented Ryu, straightening his tie for him.

"Has anyone told you how breathtaking you look when you fight?" Ryu murmured into Yamato's shirt collar.

Yamato gave a groan but leaned into Ryu's mouth all the same. "No, and NO."

"No to what?" Ryu asked quizzically.

"No, no one has told me how breathtaking I look when I fight – they're usually in too much pain." Yamato smirked. "And no, I've came three times this evening; you're not getting another round tonight."

"Aww." Ryu pouted adorably, causing Yamato to contemplate taking back his statement. After all, when had any of his clients take no for an answer? "Is cuddling still on?"

"Feed me with a large beer and chips first; and then we can talk about that cuddling business."

"Deal."

* * *

"Ren, no, please! Please…" Yamato whimpered fretfully in his sleep that night.

Ryu was awake in an instant. Pulling Yamato closer to him, he whispered. "Shhhh. It's just a nightmare. Go to sleep, love."

At the prompting of Ryu's voice, Yamato's body relaxed gradually and the soft whimpering stilled into deep, even breathing. Ryu placed a kiss on Yamato's forehead lovingly. "I'll guard your dreams, love. Trust me."

Yamato woke up the next morning feeling like he has had the best sleep since forever. Strange, they did not even have sex last night, so he definitely went to bed as Yamato, not as Yuyan. How is it that he did not have a nightmare then? Yamato mentally shrugged. Perhaps the fight had worn him out more than he thought.

A note on the bedside table informed him that Ryu was out to 'settle some business' and would be back shortly. He looked around the empty bed with a pang of loneliness; and then mentally chastised himself when he identified the feeling that was coursing through him. _'How can you become attached so easily, Yamato? What are you, a novice?' _

Feeling a little confused, he got up and stumbled to the bathroom. Turning on the tap, he splashed his face with a burst of icy cold water to clear his head.

He stared at his reflection in the mirror. He found Yamato staring back at him, instead of Yuyan as it usually was whenever he was at a client's place. He sat on the cover of the toilet seat, still gazing thoughtfully at the foreign-looking reflection. Physically, he had no 'firsts' to speak of (besides the kiss which Ryu rejected); but Ryu had actually taken a lot of his 'firsts' in the emotional sense. For example, he had been called by his real name during sex for the first time, addressed his client by their given name for the first time, fought for fun for the first time, and slept through the night without being awaken by nightmares for the first time.

Yamato pulled on a clean bathrobe to cover himself. Yes, there was no use dwelling on uncertainties, such as his turbulent feelings or the growing discord between Yuyan and Yamato. They only had two more days left, and Ryu deserved the best from him – whether as a client, friend or suitor.


	13. Chapter 13

**_'Knock knock'_**

Yamato swung the door open to greet Ryu enthusiastically. "You're early— Oh, sorry, Hayato, I thought you were Ryu. He's not in at the moment though, if you're looking for him."

Hayato did not reply; instead he shoved his way into the suite and pushed Yamato onto the couch.

"Hey, what's the deal, dude?" Yamato asked in confusion. "What are you doing!" He yelled when Hayato tried to climb on top of him.

"Do you know that Ryu just blew a billion dollar deal that would have made our company a household brand? And I know that it's all your fault!"

Yamato pushed Hayato away from him as hard as he could. "Go deal with your issues somewhere else, Hayato! And don't touch me!"

"On the contrary, Yamato, I think you're the exact thing I need. Perhaps if I fuck that slutty ass of yours, then I will be able to understand what Ryu is thinking about."

"What the fuck are you talking about? If you're not happy with Ryu, then talk to him! I have nothing to do with it!"

"I get it. How much money do you want? Name your price."

"I won't let you touch me no matter how much money you can offer!"

"Why, are you hoping to _marry_ Ryu?" Hayato mocked at him. "Think that you won't need the money anymore? Dream on, you filthy whore!" He lunged at Yamato once more, which Yamato deftly avoided.

"Get out, please, or I'll call security." Yamato picked up the room phone and dialled for the reception. _'Pick up, pick up, pick up…'_

Hayato leapt towards him and pulled the phone out of the jack. "Really? And if they come, who will they believe? Me, a top-level consultant in a reputable firm; or you, a measly street whore?"

"I'll have you know that I have a hell lot more morals than you, you sick bastard!"

Hayato gripped Yamato's chin roughly. "Don't talk shit to me, whore. If you work with me, I'll try not to hurt you too much. Now strip."

"Over my dead body!" Yamato threw a punch at Hayato. He had held himself back out of respect for Ryu, but Hayato had definitely crossed the line.

"Dammit you little bastard." Hayato scrambled up, nursing his bruising jaw. Yamato was a lot stronger than Hayato had expected. Still, he did not give up. He grabbed the bathrobe Yamato was wearing and tugged hard, causing the bathrobe to fall onto the ground. Yamato rushed to cover himself up, and Hayato took the opportunity to pin him onto the floor.

"Got ya, you little shit—" Suddenly, Hayato was grabbed from behind and thrown across the room ungracefully.

"Ryu!" Hayato gasped when he realised who had attacked him.

Ryu made sure that he covered Yamato with the bathrobe before advancing on Hayato, his eyes blazing in righteous anger. "WHAT. THE. FUCK. ARE. YOU. DOING?!" He roared.

"I CAN ASK YOU THE SAME THING!" Hayato screamed back at him. "ARE YOU FUCKING OUT OF YOUR MIND? THEY WERE WILLING TO SELL IT, NO STRINGS ATTACHED! HOW COULD YOU JUST WALK AWAY FROM THAT? AND TO OFFER TO FINANCE THEM NO LESS – DO YOU KNOW HOW RISKY THAT IS?! THEY'RE A DYING COMPANY, RYU! YOU MIGHT AS WELL JUST THREW A MILLION DOLLARS DOWN THE FUCKING DRAIN!"

"Everyone deserves a second chance." Ryu murmured quietly.

"This is a business, Ryu, not a fucking charity!" Hayato was pulling at his hair in frustration.

"I gave you a chance." Ryu said. "I gave our friendship a chance even after you threw me out of school, I gave you a chance to get a proper job and a proper position even when you screwed up again and again, I gave you a chance to redeem yourself every time you disappointed me. I gave you a chance for everything, Hayato. So tell me, why doesn't the Oedo Family Company deserve a chance to prove themselves?"

"Would you have done it, if not for _him_?" Hayato threw Yamato a dirty look.

"Maybe not, because I didn't know what love is until the day I met him. However, I'm sure that this is the right thing to do. I just didn't know that in the past."

"You _love _him?" Hayato mocked at him scorningly. "He's a whore, Ryu! You told me that yourself! You're buying his _'love'_ with $7000 dollars!"

"Out." Ryu intoned firmly. That was the final straw. He could take Hayato throwing a tantrum at him, but Hayato had not only attacked Yamato, but also insulted him. Ryu was not going to allow anyone to hurt Yamato, even if it was Hayato that was committing the said offence. "Get out. I've heard enough. If you stay any longer, I'm reporting you for sexual assault and attempted rape."

"It's not rape if he's a prostitute." Hayato started to say, before Ryu's fist flew at him. A dull crack informed all of them that Hayato's nose was broken. "Bloody hell—"

"Don't appear in front of me again." Ryu's voice was reverberating dangerously. "I mean it, Hayato. Get out of my sight, and get out of my life. You're fired, and don't call yourself my friend anymore."

"You're choosing that whore over me? You'll regret this, Ryu!" Hayato slammed the door on his way out, cradling his bloodied nose.

"I'm so sorry, Yamato." Ryu rushed to Yamato's side to help him up.

"It's not your fault." Yamato got up and headed to the bathroom to straighten himself up. He did not want Ryu to view him as weak.

Ryu did not give up. Following Yamato to the bathroom, he proceeded to help Yamato brush his hair and handed him a new change of clothes.

"I can do it myself." Yamato snatched his clothes out of Ryu's hands.

"Listen, Yamato." Ryu held him tightly from behind. "I'm really sorry about Hayato. It was my fault for telling him about your occupation, and for letting him get away with insulting you the last time."

"What do you think of me, Ryu?" Yamato said suddenly. "Hayato is right, I'm just a whore. You don't love me, you love my body—"

Ryu covered Yamato's mouth with his right hand and kissed the back of the said hand. "Yamato, I told you to stop degrading yourself in those terms. You are an escort, yes, but that doesn't mean that I can't love you. And I _do_ love you, Yamato. I thought I made that clear. I love that you're sullen, because it makes your smile so much more special. I love that you're quiet, because it makes the emotions in your eyes shine so much brighter. I love that you're stubborn, because it reminds me of the beautiful delinquent on the inside. I love everything about Yamato, not Yuyan. I wouldn't mind a single bit even if Yamato were clumsy and awkward in bed, or wanted me to wait until we were married to have sex."

The last part cracked Yamato up a little, causing the corners of his lips to shift upwards involuntarily. One thing for sure, however, Ryu really did love him as Yamato. Everything Ryu mentioned about 'Yamato' was directly on-point. The last time someone had understood him this well was – Yamato realised with a jolt – Ren. At that moment, Yamato felt all the icy walls that he had built around his heart start to crumble.

"Yamato? Say something, please." Ryu pleaded.

"I'm sorry." That was all Yamato trusted himself to say.

"You have nothing to be sorry about, Yamato." Ryu smiled in relief. "Come on, I remember promising to take you out today."

"Why don't we stay in?" Yamato suggested. "And… I could probably use some cuddling."

"Look who's the cuddling type now." Ryu said in a teasing tone, although he was already halfway through undressing himself for bed. "Let's go, love."

Yamato smiled and allowed himself to be led under the covers. "What did you do that made Hayato so mad?" He asked after a while.

Ryu drew Yamato closer to him. "I gave the Oedo Family Company a loan instead, so that they will have enough capital to turn the company around. Hopefully, that little boost will also convince their shareholders to change the charter and allow Wakamatsu to take over the company."

"What made you do that?" Yamato asked, remembering Ryu's answer earlier about learning to love from him. He wanted to know exactly what Ryu meant by that.

"I found out how special it was to love someone or something." Ryu placed a kiss on Yamato's forehead. "The feeling of never wanting to let go, and wanting him to be happy and whole even if I can't have him."

"Ryu…" Yamato gazed at him in disbelief. He knew that Ryu had feelings for him, but he had not expected it to go so deep.

Ryu picked up Yamato's hands and took a deep breath. He had been gathering his courage the whole week for this moment. "Come back to Japan with me, Yamato. I'll pay for everything, and you can live whatever kind of lifestyle you want to. You can even continue working as an escort or a stripper or a host if you want; I won't stop you. Just stay by my side, Yamato."

Yamato's breath caught at the offer. All of it was more than tempting, especially the part about staying by Ryu's side; except for one thing – he couldn't go back to Japan. He pulled his hands away. "I'm sorry, Ryu." He said sadly. "I can't. I would love to stay by your side, but… I can't go back to Japan, I just can't. I'm sorry."

"Please reconsider, Yamato." Ryu begged desperately. "I'll help you through it. You're not getting nightmares anymore, are you? I'll help you with all your emotional struggles, Yamato. We can even move out of Shirokin, perhaps I can shift my company headquarters to Osaka or Nagoya or Sapporo or…"

"Stop it." Yamato said abruptly. "You don't understand, Ryu. I understand your good intentions, and I'm grateful for everything you've done for me; but I think we've come to an end of this fairy tale. Why don't we end it on a happy note, rather than a sad one?"

The resulting pain and disappointment in Ryu's voice was so raw that Yamato almost took back his words. "I understand." Ryu whispered quietly. "It has been wonderful knowing you, Yamato."

"The feeling's mutual, Ryu." Yamato put on his professional façade to prevent himself from giving in. He knew that he would not be able to say no if Ryu asked him again. He kept reminding himself that this was for the best. It would not be fair for Ryu to commit himself to someone who could not love him back.

Ryu held Yamato as tightly as he could and forced out a tiny smile. "I'll miss you."

Yamato could feel the tears threatening to well-up in his eyes and quickly stopped himself. "You can always visit me again, Ryu. Just give me a call. You don't even have to pay me. I'll keep you company for as long as you want."

"I will, Yamato. I definitely will." Ryu was already mentally reviewing his calendar for the year. He could make a trip here in June… and perhaps he could arrange for a two-week break in August…

They spent the rest of the day holding one another and having slow, sensual sex; mapping every part of each other's body and memorising every expression on each other's face. Neither of them spoke much, since most of the things they wanted to say seemed inappropriate in the circumstances. The only concession Ryu allowed himself was a soft 'I love you' at the end of the night before they fell asleep in each other's arms one last time.

* * *

Waking up in Ryu's embrace the next morning was the most simultaneously beautiful and painful thing that Yamato had ever experienced. Ryu felt the same way. The morning that he dreaded the most had arrived.

Ryu caressed Yamato's face, not needing to speak to make his feelings known.

Yamato leaned in and savoured Ryu's warmth. Again, he told himself that it was Ryu's kindness that he would miss, not the man himself. How could he miss a man that he did not love?

"Let me send you home before I go to the airport." Ryu offered in a sorrowful voice as they got dressed.

"I can catch the subway, Ryu." Yamato did not look up from the bag he was packing. He desperately wanted to hang on to Ryu and ask him to not leave, but he knew that he couldn't be so selfish. Ryu had a life and a business of his own in Japan. Plus, Ryu had already made him an offer and he was the one who had rejected it. Furthermore, Ryu deserved someone better, someone other than him; someone who could love him right back.

"Please, Yamato. At least allow me to be with you until the last possible moment."

Yamato found that he could not deny Ryu's request. After all, he had broken Ryu's heart just the day before. "Very well, if you don't mind navigating the small streets in Queens."

"I would go to the end of the world for you, Yamato." Ryu said softly.

Yamato gave him a sad smile. "Let's go."

* * *

"This is it." Yamato said as they pulled up in front of his apartment building.

"Bye, Yamato." Ryu pressed a thick envelope into his hands.

Yamato opened the envelope and saw a stack of green $100 bills staring up at him. "I thought you've paid Sawatari."

"That's your tips, Yamato. It's all yours, beyond Sawatari's reach."

Yamato shook his head and slipped the envelope back into Ryu's suit pocket. "Keep it. Thanks for everything, Ryu." He kissed Ryu on the cheek.

"Goodbye, Yamato." Ryu's eyes were reddening as he spoke.

Yamato ran up to his apartment as fast as he could. Shutting the door, he felt hot tears flowing down his cheeks the moment he heard Ryu's limo drive away. "Goodbye, Ryu…" He whispered sorrowfully.

* * *

That was how Reita found him three hours later, still crouched by the door and crying his heart out. "Yamato! What happened? Did you get hurt?" Reita asked in panic.

Yamato shook his head and clung to Reita. Even though they slept with each other as training partners, they actually viewed and treated each other as brothers. "Ryu left…"

"He did? That bastard!" Reita exclaimed in self-righteousness. "I thought he would bring you back with him!"

Yamato pulled apart from Reita to wipe away his tears. "He offered. I said no."

"Oh Yamato." Reita whispered. "Why? You love him, don't you?"

"I don't know." Yamato answered honestly. Was it possible that he loved Ryu? But he thought that he couldn't love anyone else other than Ren!

"You do, Yamato. Why else would you pull yourself out of bed despite being sick? Perform a strip tease without being paid? Get jealous at anyone who touched him?" Reita's tone softened. "And you wouldn't be crying here for 3 whole hours instead of counting your tips."

"I didn't even take the tips." Yamato told him miserably. "There was at least 5 grand in the envelope he gave me."

"What? You stupid bitch!" Reita sighed and gave Yamato a big hug. "I supposed that's to be expected. You do love him, after all."

"Do I?" Yamato looked up at him with puffy eyes. He still could not believe it, despite all the evidence that Reita had just laid in front of him.

"You do." Reita said with conviction. "Now if you were a smart bloke, you would call him now and get on the next plane to Japan."

"I can't." Yamato's ego was too important to him to do such a thing. He definitely would not be running after a man in regret!

Reita, too, understood Yamato enough to know that his friend would not be doing anything like that anytime soon. "I hope you're happy, Yamato. That's all I want you to be."


End file.
